ETHIOPIA- TADESSE YONKA GAMACHO (NATURAL)

Tadesse Yonka, the owner of the Gamacho washing station, has been in the coffee business as a local supplier and processor of Sidama coffee for more than 20 years. As such, he now employs more than 70 seasonal and daily workers for selective purchasing, transporting, pulping, sorting, and drying cherries or parchment.

Over the years, Tadesse has built an excellent relationship with the growers that bring their ripe cherries to his site. This number has grown to 250 registered farmers who have come to rely on Tadesse’s expertise at the Gamacho washing station. Known for the extra care he takes to acquire good quality red cherries, as well as savvy sorting, processing, and drying, not only does Tadesse provide skill-building training to his client farmers on all aspects of coffee production, he also supports their initiatives in establishing their own coffee nursery sites, provides supply and quality-based price incentives for bringing high-quality cherries to the Gamacho washing station.

In addition to this wet mill, Tadesse also owns a dry mill in Daye, Bensa, and provides milling and warehousing services to other coffee producers in the area. He is a trusted coffee producer/supplier, and always strives to improve the quality of the coffee he processes. Tadesse and his wife, Mrs. Bekelech Burka, have nine children, six of whom are directly involved in coffee sourcing, transportation, pulping/milling, and drying.