Coffee Bean Information

• REGION: Ginbo, Keffa, Ethiopia
• PROCESS: Natural
• ALTITUDE: 1850 up to 1950 MASL
• VARIETALS: 75/210 and 74/212, smaller quantities of 74/110 and 74/165
  and local Landrace varieties naturally adapted from the Wush Wush
  variety
• DRYING METHOD: Drying beds
• CUPPING NOTES: Purple iris, dried rose, black cherry cola, plum jam, and winey

Coffee Bean Story

Approximately 2500 smallholder farmers from the surrounding area bring their cherries to Dinkalem Ademe’s washing station in the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia. The sign above the gate says, “GENALEM GEWYERO” —”GOD IS GOOD”—a motto he and his wife, Sofiya have taken for their lives. Together they are a dynamic couple dedicated to helping their communities in every way.

The out-growers in the Ginbo district are smallholders, aka “garden farmers,” so called because most of them produce coffee in the “garden” areas around their homes and often harvest cherries from coffee that grows naturally on the land where they live. Dinkalem has developed a robust out-grower program that brings economic advantages to his neighbours and friends.

About the Region

Every part of Ethiopia has its own mystique, and the Western region of Keffa is no exception. The roads that thread the map are sparse and constantly travelled, giving up the rich scent of the red soil they are built from under the tires of Land Rovers and donkey carts.  Rolling away from the roads like theatre curtains are the fertile patchwork hills that disappear into a soft misty sky. Puffy trees emerge against the skyline like cotton balls dyed the deepest spring green.

The Origins of Coffee Itself

The people of Keffa carry their pride in coffee close to the bone. We’ve all heard the story of how coffee was born: Kaldi, a bored goat herder c. 850, notices his goats have extra energy after eating the fruit of a nearby bush. He tries some for himself, the first person to enjoy coffee. Whether that’s really how coffee was discovered or not, we do know the legend originates from Keffa. The very name "coffee" derives from this region "Keffa."