Blue Berries | Cocoa | Dark Stonefruit | Black Berries
Process: Natural
Farm/Coop: Various
Varietal: Wolishu and Dhega landrace
Region: Yirgacheffe, Gedeb, Chelbesa
Altitude: >2110MASL
Usage: Filters
This stunning lot originates from Chelbesa village in the Gedeo Zone, located just south
of Yirgacheffe. The coffee cherries are harvested from a semi-forest environment with
rich red soil. The most common local landraces grown in this area are Wolishu and
Dhega. Chelbesa is a hub for coffee-farming families known for producing high-quality
coffee.
Small-scale farmers in Gedeb typically cultivate plots of land smaller than 2 hectares and
usually assess their coffee farms based on the number of trees rather than the area.
Traditional cultivation methods dominate this region, characterised by intercropping
coffee plants with other food crops and adopting an ‘organic by default’ approach to
farming. The coffee trees are shade-grown in farms surrounded by dense layers of semi-
forest vegetation, including false banana (eneset).
At the Chelbesa wet mill, these ripe cherries undergo meticulous processing. The African
raised beds are carefully constructed to ensure proper air circulation and temperature
control for optimal and steady drying. The cherries are turned regularly to prevent
damage caused by over-fermentation and mould growth.
After harvesting, the cherries are stored in a local warehouse where their moisture
content is recorded at 11.5-12%. They are then further processed, which includes sorting
by colour, density, and screen size, before being milled and prepared for export.
*Please note that packaging artwork may differ from photo, product identification will be affixed to the underside.