Ethiopia Banko Chelchele Anaerobic Natural

Importer Notes | This is a smallholder-grown, centrally processed natural from Ethiopia’s Gedeb district. This corner of Yirgacheffe (officially the Gedeo Zone) is well-known for being dense with processors and having a uniquely heady, perfume-like terroir that sets it apart from the rest of Yirgacheffe. “Supernatural” is the name given to coffees like this whose cherry is fermented for a period of time prior to drying on raised beds, giving the final cup an acidic, fruity kick that conventional naturals typically can’t achieve.  

Gedeb’s Significance and Coffee Profiles | The district of Gedeb takes up the south-eastern corner of Ethiopia’s Gedeo Zone—a narrow section of plateau dense with savvy farmers whose coffee is known as “Yirgacheffe,” after the zone’s most famous district. Gedeb, however, is a terroir, history, and community all its own that merits unique designation in our eyes. Coffees from this community, much closer to Guji Zone than the rest of Yirgacheffe, are often the most explosive cup profiles we see from anywhere in Ethiopia. Naturals tend to have perfume-like volatiles, and fully washed lots are often sparklingly clean and fruit candy-like in structure.

The municipality of Gedeb itself is a bustling outpost that links commerce between the Guji and Gedeo Zones, with an expansive network of processing stations who buy cherry from across zone borders. These processors would argue (and we would agree) that their coffee profiles are not exactly Yirgacheffe, but something of their own. The communities surrounding Gedeb reach some of the highest growing elevations for coffee in the world and are a truly enchanting part of the long drive into Guji. Banko Chelchele is one of the communities in central Gedeb and includes numerous local cooperatives, as well as independent processing stations of various types, like this one.