Lot 25.21

We want to change communities, so we can’t only rely on microlots. Just like at a roastery, it’s important to have a mix of small and large volumes to create maximum impact!

This lot is a classic extended natural from Taferi Kela using cherries from our community farmers. To us, “classic” means good enough to reproduce year after year – but that doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels! “Good enough” is never good enough, and we strive to improve every year. 

This lot is a great example of some of the challenges we face while working in Taferi Kela. Our first year there, 80%(!) of the coffee cherries we received from community farmers were still green. It was a little shocking, but we sorted them with the farmers and tried to teach them about why ripe cherries are better, both for the quality of the coffee as well as the quality of their lives. One bag of green cherries weighs half of one bag of red cherries, so they were missing half of their income by delivering green cherries. 

It’s all still in progress, but we see improvements each year and it motivates us to keep going. This lot really showcases the impact we can make with coffee and how it can change lives. This year we had a much better intake ratio – it’s still not at 100%, but it was much better. 

After pre-cleaning the cherries, we sorted out under and overripe cherries and put them on our African raised beds. “Extended natural” means they were dried in shade instead of sun. This gave them a longer time to dry, which allowed the cherries to develop more complexity than if they were fully sun-dried. 

The end result was beautiful. Like other coffees grown at high altitudes, it takes a few days after roasting to really open up, but we’re proud of the results.

Coming soon

Taferi Kela

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.

Learn more!