ETHIOPIA KABIRA BIRBISA - ESPRESSO

Region: Jimma, West Ethiopia
Variety: 74100, 74112
Process: Natural
Altitude: 2000-2250m
Notes: Grape, dark chocolate,floral

This Birbisa lot is produced by Abdo Abamecha in the Jimma Zone of western Ethiopia. Abdo is the brother of Mustefa Abakeno and has worked in coffee for more than eight years, originally supplying coffee to exporters before beginning to export directly from the area where he was born and raised. In 2023, he obtained his own export licence and began sharing some facilities and infrastructure with his brother, Mustefa Abakeno.

Abdo produces both washed and natural coffees, with attention to cherry selection, drying and lot separation. His work is connected to the coffee-growing communities around Jimma, where smallholder farmers deliver cherry during the harvest season. The shared family infrastructure supports processing, storage and export preparation while keeping the lots traceable.

This lot is processed at Birbisa washing station. The station forms part of the wider family-linked supply structure between Abdo Abamecha and Mustefa Abakeno, supporting cherry reception, sorting, drying and storage before export.

For the natural process, cherries are delivered and floated to remove immature or lower-density fruit. The selected cherries are then skin-dried under shade for one day before being moved to raised beds. Drying takes around 20 to 30 days depending on weather conditions, with regular turning used to support even drying.

The Birbisa lot is prepared as a Grade 1 natural from Jimma. The grade reflects the level of preparation and sorting applied to the coffee. After drying, the coffee is brought to the required moisture level before bagging and storage, then prepared for dry milling and export through the shared family infrastructure.

Abdo Abamecha transformed his two-hectare family farm into a thriving 30.5-hectare estate. Regulatory changes in Ethiopia enabled him to sell directly to importers, bypassing the ECX to seek fairer returns. He now leads a cooperative supporting 200+ smallholder farmers around Jimma with resources, training, and market access for premium organic coffee. Natural processing is deliberate here, not necessity. Drying whole cherries on raised beds for three weeks allows fruit sugars to filter to the seed, creating distinguished berry notes and complexity while avoiding fermentation faults common in rushed naturals. JARC 74110 and 74112 varietals, developed by Ethiopia's Jimma Agricultural Research Centre, offer disease resistance and yield stability. They express clean, floral sweetness with bright acidity, qualities that complement the berry fruit in this naturally processed lot.