SEDI LOYA, Ethiopia (Washed)

Sedi Loya is a washing station located in Gera, Jimma Zone, about 40 km southwest of the city of Jimma. It is owned by Khalid Shifa and his brother, Ahmed Abateman. The station employs 45 permanent and seasonal workers, who collect cherries directly from local farmers and process them on-site across the station’s 140 drying beds. Khalid Shifa is one of the best-known suppliers in the Jimma region, managing several stations and an active support program for smallholder farmers in the area through sustainable agriculture training and ongoing infrastructure investments.

The coffee grows at an altitude of about 1,900 m in the Gera region, one of Ethiopia’s long-established coffee-growing areas, known for its lush forests where coffee often grows in the shade of native trees. The variety is Heirloom, referring to the native, genetically unduplicated populations specific to Ethiopian coffee.

Washed processing involves removing the pulp and mucilage from the beans before drying, a process repeated daily throughout the harvest. The result is a clean coffee with high aromatic clarity, allowing delicate notes to stand out clearly without interference from the fruit’s sweetness.

Sedi Loya develops notes of bergamot, apricot, and honey, supported by a medium body, medium acidity, and medium-high sweetness, in an elegant, floral cup typical of what a well-executed washed coffee from Ethiopia can offer.