Produced by smallholder farmers of the Wayicho Cooperative, this certified organic coffee from Sidama, Ethiopia, hits all the flavor benchmarks for excellent washed coffees from this region. The combination of citric flavors, centered around sweet lemon and joined by characteristic floral notes, reminds one of precisely where this coffee hails from. In the cup, melon-like sweetness and hints of blueberry and pear persist. Filtered, the cup takes on a black tea-like character that reveals a subtle complexity.
Wayicho is one of the primary cooperatives belonging to the Sidama Coffee Farmers' Cooperative Union (SCFCU), one of Ethiopia's largest and best-known exporting organizations. The SCFCU is robust with 53 member cooperatives in its union and over 80,000 member households in the Sidama Zone.
Coffee harvest in Sidama occurs slightly earlier than in the more southern zones of Gedeo and Guji, resulting in fully washed lots that typically arrive as the very first top-quality coffees from anywhere in Ethiopia.
Farmers in this area are truly smallholders, averaging less than one hectare of coffee cultivation each, while they also produce vegetables for their households and local sale. Consequently, the SCFCU focuses on establishing a certification process for local cooperatives, creating micro-credit for producers and investing in social programs on a larger scale. Environmental training programs, health care initiatives, life insurance and educational opportunities are several of the means by which the SCFCU endeavors to improve the quality of life for coffee producers and their families.
ORIGIN INFORMATION
Grower: Smallholder farmers organized around the Wayicho Cooperative
Region: Wayicho District, Sidama Region, Ethiopia
Altitude: 1600-1800 masl
Soil: Vertisol
Process: Fully washed and dried on raised beds
Certification: Organic
