Producer: Negusse Debela
Farm: Smallholder producers
Region: Chelbesa, Yirgacheffe
Variety: Wolisho, Dega
Process: Washed
Altitude: 2050 masl
Harvested: 2023
CUPPING NOTES: Peach, Lemon, Gooseberry, Juicy.
Meet the farmer.
This coffee was produced by smallholder farmers in the village of Worka Chelbesa, located in the Gedeo zone of Ethiopia. The beans were processed at a wet mill operated by Negusse Debela, who runs two sites in Worka Chelbesa, including one in the Danche sub-area. Negusse produces Washed, Natural, and experimental lots of coffee to enhance the quality of the final product.
Worka Chelbesa is situated in the southernmost part of the Gedeo zone and is known for its thick semi-forest vegetation of shade plants such as ensete trees. The coffee is shade-grown in these ideal conditions.
Local farmers grow Wolisho and Dega variety coffee, landrace varieties from the Yirgacheffe region.
Dega is a regional landrace named for an indigenous tree. The wood of the Dega tree omits a sweet, fragrant aroma when burned for firewood, similar to the smell of coffee roasting. The Amharic word “dega” means “cool highland area,” which applies to the agroecological conditions where Dega coffee grows.
Wolisho is another regional landrace named for a tree indigenous to Gedeo and the surrounding area. This tree bears large fruit with inconsistent yearly yields. Wolisho coffee has large cherries and long leaves.
Process.
Cherries are manually harvested before being taken to the processing station where they are handsorted before being processed. Pulped coffee is wet fermented for 72 hours before being washed in channels. The fermentation tanks at Negusse’s sites are ceramic, quickening the fermentation process and contributing to the clarity of the final cup. The coffee is then density-sorted for quality, ensuring easy separation in higher-grade lots. After fermentation and sorting, coffee is soaked for two hours to complete the fully Washed process and then dried for 10 days. All coffee is hand sorted a final time after drying before being prepared for export.