ETHIOPIA BEDHATU JIBICHO

Origin: Ethiopia Region: Gedeb District, Gedeo Zone, SNNRP Masl: 1800-1900 Producer: Bedhatu Jibicho Co-Op: Banko Gotiti Variety: Heirloom Process: Washed

Every year, we’re excited when Bedhatu Jibicho’s coffee returns to our menu–it’s one of our all time favorites. Bedhatu began working in coffee in the 1960s when the government gave land to her husband. She has been managing the farm for over 50 years, and became one of the founding members of the Banko Gotiti Cooperative. Now 84 acres, her farm is larger than most farms in the area. Bedhatu has 20 employees who work on the farm year round, and she hires 130 seasonal workers for harvest who are primarily women. Her children recently formed Roba and Family Coffee to begin exporting her coffees and others in the Gedeb region. Her family has invested in more localized cherry collection sites to reduce the transportation costs for other producers, and have contributed to road construction projects that make travel a little easier for everyone.

For this coffee, cherries are meticulously hand sorted and floated to separate less dense beans before they are depulped and fermented for 48 hours. They are then washed and separated again, placed on raised drying beds for 12-15 days, and hand-sorted yet another time. This attention to detail and quality results in a coffee that is aromatic and complex with notes of bergamot, peach, and jasmine. Expressive across various brewing methods, this coffee is sure to impress any coffee aficionado.