Gedeb - Ethiopia

Gedeb is a town located in the Gedeo zone* just south of the popular coffee-growing town Yirgacheffe. Coffee grown in this region is local landrace varieties (Ethiopian heirloom). Other varieties grown in the region were developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC). JARC is an important research centre for Ethiopia and has done a great deal of work on developing disease-resistant and high-yielding varieties that still demonstrate quality in the cup. 

Most farmers in the region farm on fewer than 5 hectares with cultivation methods remaining traditional, coffee is grown as part of an integrated ‘coffee garden’, and intercropped with other food crops. In addition to remaining traditionally intercropped, most farms are also organic by default. Farmers in Yirgacheffe typically use very few, if any, fertilisers or pesticides. Once ripened farmers typically handpick the harvest themselves along with their families. All coffee is selectively hand-picked before being delivered to a collection centre or directly to the washing station. 

At the washing station, coffee is sorted to remove damaged or underripe cherry and is then delivered to the pulpers to be pulped. It will then be fermented for around 24 hours, depending on the weather conditions.  

Once fermentation is complete the parchment is thoroughly washed and then graded in washing channels, separating each lot into two grades based on density. Once graded, the coffee is sometimes soaked under clean spring water in tanks for 12-24 hours to remove all traces of fermented mucilage. 

After washing, parchment is delivered to raised beds to dry under shade for 10-14 days until moisture content reaches 12%. During this time, the parchment is regularly turned and hand-sorted several times to remove any damaged or discoloured beans. Parchment is covered with plastic during the hottest hours of the day to protect the parchment from drying too quickly and overnight to prevent condensation from seeping into the drying parchment. This level of labour and love results in a truly exquisite cup profile. 

*Gedeo is a zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. This zone is named for the Gedeo people, whose homelands lie in this zone. Gedeo is an exclave of the SNNPR consisting of a narrow strip of land along the eastern escarpment of the Ethiopian Highlands