NATURE OF THE BEAST, Ethiopia

Blueberry, Jasmine, White Peach

In the southern highlands of Ethiopia’s Guji region, coffee is grown by smallholder farmers in their home gardens, a practice locally referred to as “garden coffee.” These traditional plots are often interspersed with food crops and native trees, creating a biodiverse environment that supports slow cherry development and rich flavour potential.

Harvest takes place between October and January, when ripe coffee cherries are selectively picked by hand and brought to nearby washing stations. Here, cherries from multiple smallholder farmers are combined and carefully processed to maintain quality and consistency.

Once delivered to the washing station, the cherries are depulped to remove the fruit skin, and any floaters, which are lighter and lower in density, are separated. The remaining beans are submerged in large fermentation tanks where they are covered with clean water and left to ferment for twelve to twenty four hours. This wet fermentation process helps break down the mucilage, a sticky layer that surrounds the beans, allowing it to be easily removed.

Following fermentation, the coffee is washed thoroughly in channels, where gentle agitation helps to remove any residual mucilage and further sort the beans by density. Only the highest quality beans are retained for drying.

The washed beans are then transferred to raised African beds, where they are sun dried for ten to fifteen days. During this stage, the coffee is regularly turned to ensure even drying and protected with plastic sheeting during the hottest parts of the day to slow the drying process and preserve flavour integrity. The drying continues until the beans reach a stable moisture content of ten to twelve percent.

Once fully dried, the beans are stored in their parchment layer to protect them from environmental exposure until they are ready for milling and export. At this final stage, our trusted local partners perform meticulous quality control, including a triple pass through a colour sorter and a triple hand sorting process. This additional care and attention help to elevate the overall cup quality, reflecting the dedication of the producers and processors throughout the entire journey from farm to export.