Ethiopia Werka - Natural

Ethiopia
Sidama, Werka  - Natty
tastes like candied orange, red grape, plum, honey blossom

COUNTRY: Ethiopia
TRADITIONAL COFFEE REGION: Sidama
POLITICAL REGION: Oromia
POLITICAL ZONE: West Arsi
WOREDA: Nensebo
KEBELE: Werka
WASHING STATION: Gara Kone
ELEVATION: 1,900-2,070m above sea level
VARIETY: Wolisho
PROCESSING: Natural
FARMERS: 1,000 independent outgrowers
WASHING STATION OWNER: Faysel A. Yonis
IMPORTER: Melbourne Coffee Merchants
IMPORTER RELATIONSHIP LENGTH: Since 2019

This lot is made up of coffees grown near the kebele (local village) of Werka (pronounced “wer-kah”), which is located in the Nensebo woreda (administrative district), in Ethiopia’s West Arsi Zone. The coffee was processed using the natural method at Gara Kone washing station, one of twenty owned and managed by Testi Coffee, a family-owned company founded by Mr Faysel A. Yonis.

Sitting at an impressive 2,020 meters above sea level, Gara Kone produces exceptional natural coffees. The washing station currently employs around 200 workers, who process some 1.5 million coffee cherries each year. During harvest, this freshly picked coffee cherry is delivered daily by some 1,000 independent outgrowers to the kebele of Refisa, where Gara Kone is located.

The majority of the families that contribute to this lot farm organically on tiny plots of land, which average just 2–5 hectares in size. Coffee is their main cash crop and grows alongside food crops of corn, grain and bananas, under the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees. The average elevation of the farms in this region is very high – around 1,950–2,150m above sea level – and this, combined region’s cool temperatures, is ideal for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile.

This coffee lot was produced as part of Testi’s quality improvement initiative, Premium Cherry Selection (PCS). Launched in 2018, the Premium Cherry Selection program ensures that best practices are used for growing, harvesting and processing the coffee cherry. Through the program, Testi pay a premium to farmers who pick and deliver only the ripest cherries from their farms. Coffees produced as part of the program represent the highest quality and cleanest cup profile available from the washing station and wider region.