Lot 25.22

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.”

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 one uses coffee from our own farm in Guji and is absolutely stunning, especially when you let it rest. When you cup it the first time you might think, “Oh, it’s a nice natural, but nothing special”... but give it a couple days’ rest and it’s truly amazing. It’s FULL of blueberries and lavender, and creamy like yoghurt. No surprise that it quickly became a favourite with our roasters. If you were a coffee nerd in the mid-2010’s, you might fondly remember the Kilenso Mokinissa that was the ‘blueberry muffin bombshell’ of that period and converted thousands to being specialty coffee drinkers. This lot is a dead ringer for that coffee. One of our roasters said it would be a steal at twice the price, and would easily become his customers’ favourite African coffee ever. 

It’s worth mentioning that working in Guji is very different from working in Taferi Kela. The culture is unique and presents its own challenges – for example, Sidama is densely populated, but Guji is remote with few people per square meter, so labour logistics are trickier. There are safety and predictability challenges as well. We’re very lucky to work with a great team in Guji, including two traditional chiefs who support our endeavors. Most things don’t go as planned in Guji, but this lot did, and we’re thrilled with the results.

Coming soon

Guji Megadu

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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