Lot 25.19

This is one of our new Kickstart Naturals… but what does “Kickstart” mean?

Last year we focused on beautiful, clean naturals, so this year we wanted to add some natural lots that are a little more on the floral side, perhaps with more body and funkiness. Something with a bit of a kick! That’s how we came up with our new experiment, “Kickstart Naturals.”

We had so much success with our Taferi Kela Kickstart Naturals, we decided to try the Kickstart method on coffee from our neighbouring community Aleta Wando. Aleta Wando is a wonderful community, and we ended up renting a mill there and sourcing coffee from local farmers to accommodate our growth. 

After taking the cherries to the wet mill, we gave them a “kick” by putting them in an anaerobic environment for a short amount of time before continuing processing. Not long enough for official fermentation to begin, but long enough that the structure of the sugar within the cherries changed.

It really gave this lot the boost we were looking for, and it’s now one of our signature processing techniques. We carefully finessed the protocol and are planning on trying it again next year. It produced a really different profile than our more straightforward naturals and added a lot of body, and we’re thrilled to be showcasing this fresh take on natural processing.

This coffee turned out beautifully and with a different profile from our other Kickstart Naturals, which just goes to show how distinct coffee can taste from farm to farm.

We are excited to explore Aleta Wando more and work with its community farmers again in the future. 

Coming soon

Aleta Wando

We are rooted in our communities and committed to building a positive and sustainable future by educating and creating equal opportunity jobs at our own facilities.

By distributing climate-resistant seedlings and providing "learning by doing" programs for children and adults, we facilitate our communities to transform their futures. We are honored to work with local chiefs, community leaders, and smallholder farmers to grow and source our spectacular Bette Buna coffees.

At our farms in Taferi Kela-Sidamo and Guji-Megadu we work closely with our family and neighbours to grow seedlings, rewild coffee forests, and train farmers in methods of growing and processing that create opportunities for everyone in our community.

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