Ethiopia West Arsi Natural

About The Coffee:

Adam Banata’s farm sits at an impressive 2064 meters above sea level. He grows a range of varieties that have been developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) who are responsible for many of the coffee varieties that thrive across Ethiopia today. Adams’ focus is to produce high quality Naturals that are best known for their strong notes of berries and maple syrup.

About The Farm / Cultivation

Adam’s farm is organic by default, and he uses no chemical pesticides or fertilisers.

West Arsi has recently been designated a unique coffee growing region and has quickly risen to international acclaim. It’s starting to gain fame through international quality competitions, including the Ethiopian Cup Of Excellence where, in 2020, coffees from West Arsi took 4 of the top 10 spots.

Harvest & Post Harvest

Adam and his family selectively handpick ripe, red cherries and lay them to dry on his farms 23 raised drying beds. He turns the cherry every hour and covers it at midday and overnight to prevent condensation. It takes approximately 16 days for the cherries to dry. Once dry, Adam bags the coffee and stores it in a warehouse on the farm for two and a half months before transporting it to the dry mill to be hulled and prepared for export.

Coffee In Ethiopia

Most producers in Ethiopia are smallholders, the majority of which continue to cultivate coffee using traditional methods. As a result, most Ethiopian coffee is grown without pesticides or chemical fertilisers. The coffee is almost entirely cultivated, harvested and dried using manual systems. The producers often do not have their own drying infrastructure, they instead deliver the cherry to a wet mill. Wet mills are owned by either cooperatives or private companies.