Ethiopia Niguse Jilo

Region: Halo Bariti, Yirgacheffe
Altitude: 2150 m.a.s.l.
Variety: Kurume
Processing: Natural

UK Arrival: September 2026

Tasting Notes: A complex and fruit-forward coffee with bold blackberry and raspberry compote flavour, complimented by a ripe mango sweetness, creamy melon-like texture, and finishing with lavender florals.

This is one of three Ethiopian coffees we’ll roast from this year’s harvest. This lot is from the Yirgacheffe region while the other two are from Arbegona and Megadu. It has bold and deep fruity notes akin to ripe blackberry, mango and raspberry, yet is layered with floral complexity.

Niguse Jilo

Niguse Jilo cultivates this exceptional Kurume just outside of Halo Bariti village in Yirgacheffe, one of Ethiopia's most historical coffee producing regions. After inheriting his father’s farm Niguse struggled to sell his coffee for a good price for many years despite placing in the top 40 of the 2022 Ethiopian Cup of Excellence. This changed in 2025 when he met Moata Raya of Mecota Trading Co who helped Niguse access specialty coffee markets and our importing partner Omwani. The money Niguse earns from his crops helps to support his ten children, seven sons and three daughters. They all go to a local school, but Niguse hopes he can support them to study abroad in the future.

Even with higher prices and more avenues to sell, Niguse could still greatly benefit from more infrastructure and development. Transporting coffee is one issue, having to walk up the hills to his farmland and drying beds is a struggle when using a vehicle would be much more efficient. Also more coverage materials for his drying beds could greatly improve his crop, allowing the coffee to be covered more effectively when needed but still allowing sufficient airflow for even drying.

Niguse is also a lead farmer at the Bore Nageso farmer group, where he demonstrates proper cultivating and maintenance techniques such as creating his own natural compost from waste plant material and cow dung. Using this instead of fertiliser ensures his soil remains healthy which keeps the coffee trees thriving.

Kurume

Kurume is an arabica variety first separated from Ethiopian heirloom by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC) back in the 1970’s when a slew of coffee plant diseases spread across Ethiopia. Kurume was selected for its sturdiness, resistance to drought, ability to thrive at high altitudes and its exceptional cup quality. 

Niguse’s farm sits very high in the hills of Yirgacheffe, at 2150 meters above sea level. This high altitude and nutritious, fertile soil is the perfect conditions to grow Kurume. Allowing the tree to produce bright red, consistently sweet and complex cherries.

Niguse decided to process this Kurume as a Natural. This lets the seeds develop even more flavour by slowly fermenting under the sun and being regularly turned for even drying. This process lasts for about 18 days until the correct moisture content of the beans is reached. Then the coffee is sent to Gedeo to be sorted and milled, finally being sent to Dunkem where it gets colour sorted and screened before packing.

Omwani & Mecota

Omwani was founded in 2018 and we’ve been buying coffee from them since 2020, after cofounder James Wilkinson made the trek out to our roastery in North Berwick with samples in hand. Today Omwani imports coffee from 11 East African countries to roasters all over the UK and Europe. 

Omwani has been importing Ethiopian coffee since 2024 after forming a connection with Mecota Trading Co founder Moata Raya. Moata started Mecota Trading Co in 2023 to help Ethiopian farmers access the specialty coffee market, increase the price paid for their coffee and ensure transparency across the supply chain. The company primarily consolidates microlots to create exportable quantities while preserving each lot’s unique profile. This direct sourcing model allows Mecota to retain detailed information about each coffee’s origin and the farmers who grew it, a rarity in a market dominated by anonymous, pooled coffee lots.

A note about packaging

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