Ethiopia, Gelcha Kindu, Filter

Ethiopia

REGION: Gedeb, Yirgacheffe

FARM: Various Smallholder Farms

VARIETAL: 74110

PROCESSING: Natural 

ALTITUDE: 2049 masl

WASHING STATION : Gargari Manay Coffee Supplier 

PLC 

CROP YEAR: 2025

A good clean natural that is not heavy on process driven flavours, We taste Prunes, slight florals has a black tea like body, brown sugar sweetness 

Ethiopia – Yirgacheffe Gelcha Kindu G1 Natural Coffee

This coffee originates from Galcha Kebele in Gedeb Wereda, within the Gedeo Zone of the renowned Yirgacheffe region in Southern Ethiopia. Grown at 2,049 meters by around 450 smallholder farmers, each with less than 1 hectare, it is a natural-processed coffee of the 74110 varietal. The Gargari Manay Coffee Supplier PLC operates the washing station, with sourcing support from Primrose, their export partner.

Farms use organic, traditional methods (though uncertified due to cost), intercropping with local food crops like enset, avocados, and papaya. Environmental challenges include climate change, pests (like the Coffee Berry Borer), and market instability. In response, farmers work with development agents to implement sustainable farming practices, including soil composting, shade tree planting, and replanting old trees.

Processing involves careful hand-picking, sun-drying on raised beds for 15–20 days at the Gelcha Kindu station (which has 150 drying beds), and final milling near Addis Ababa, with multiple steps of sorting and grading for quality.

Yirgacheffe is known for its high-quality coffees, grown at elevations above 2,000m. Despite being densely populated, the region produces mostly washed and some natural coffees, often from “garden coffee” plots.

Historically, Ethiopia’s coffee traceability was limited by the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX), which anonymized origins. But since 2017 reforms, full traceability is now possible, allowing more transparency and fairer pricing for producers.