Ethiopia Yemiru

A selectively-picked, single-farmer Ethiopian natural produced by Ayele Begshaw Yemiru. Ayele cultivates his coffee in the Aricha kebele, in Yirgacheffe of the Gedeo Zone.

This coffee has been produced by Ayele Begshaw Yemiru near the Aricha kebele.

Ayele is an experienced coffee grower, trader, and community leader in the Aricha kebele, Yirgacheffe woreda, within the Gedeo zone. His farm covers 4.25 hectares at an elevation of 1930 masl.

Ayele started his coffee journey in 2011 after obtaining his licence. He is now focused on expanding his farm by replacing old coffee plants and planting new ones. He produces coffee on his farms in Aricha, Oru Batala, and Yehada, with Yehada being his favourite due to the extensive work he has put into it.

Despite the challenges of finding a market for his coffee, Ayele is grateful for the opportunity to reach an international market, offering high-quality beans from Yirgacheffe. He dedicates his heart and soul to his crops, achieving an impressive annual production of 69 quintals in 2023.

Harvest & Post-Harvest

Harvested between October and December, this coffee is processed as a natural. Ayele focuses on sustainable practices to enhance the quality of his coffee. He uses natural fertilisers from composting and plants different trees on his coffee farm. During harvesting, Ayele conducts selective picking, ensuring only uniformly ripe red cherries are harvested.

Impact

This coffee is part of a single-farmer project we launched in Ethiopia during the 2024 harvest. In 2019, the Ethiopian government began issuing export licences to single farmers with over 2 hectares of land. Despite many farmers obtaining these licences, they struggle to find markets for their coffee and manage the complex logistics and documentation required for successful exportation. As a result, many farmers have given up on direct exporting and instead supply their coffee to established exporters.

Through our initiative, we purchase coffee directly from these farmers, allowing them to act as the exporters. Our goal is to create a market for their coffee, offering higher premiums for their high-quality production. We aim to make their efforts financially viable and rewarding.