Sourcing coffees in Ethiopia can often look very different when compared to other countries – say in Central America, where we would ordinarily purchase directly from the producers. In Ethiopia, coffee is largely grown in small home gardens, tended to by the family. From there, producers will sell their unprocessed coffee cherries to local washing stations.  

This lot is compiled of coffees from over 300 producers, who all delivered their coffee to the Kore Biloya Washing Station, in the Kochere district.  

Kochere sits just a few miles south of its better-known big brother, Yirgachefe. Being so close, coffees from Kochere share many characteristics to those from Yirgacheffe, including their sought-after floral characteristics.  

Kore Biloya Washing Station was established over 20 years ago but has only been under Tracon’s (our export partner) management since 2018. With new management has come new practices and operational efficiencies, including increasing the number of drying beds, so they can receive more coffee from local producers. At Kore Biloya, the management team encourages farmers to bring their best coffee to the station by offering prizes and incentives to those farmers whose coffee has the highest quality. In addition, the station’s management and Tracon plan to bring much-needed electricity to the coffee farmers of Biloya.