Producer: Bekele Belacho
Farm: Kokose
Region: Bensa, Sidama
Altitude: 2,200 masl | 7,218 feet
Varietal: ECX 74158, 74110, Heirlooms
Process: Natural
Roast: Light
Notes: Navel Orange, Chamomile, Berry Jam

This limited offering comes from our friends at Crop to Cup, who were Bekele Belacho's very first direct-export customer back in 2019.

Cherries are collected from Bekele’s farm, sorted for quality, and dried on raised beds for 16-18 days. After a resting period in the dried skins, cherries are trucked to nearby Kokosa for primary milling.

"The de-facto leader and organizer of a collective of independent smallholder farmer-exporters around Bensa, Bekele operates his farms and drying stations with the help of his family. His son, Beleteno, who graduated this year from Hawassa University with an economics degree, manages Hora Ganet ("Spring Paradise") farm. Between his farm in Bombe and a smaller, 5 hectare farm in Kokose with its own drying station, Bekele purchases cherry from more than 100 smallholders, producing a total of 1.5 containers of coffee.

"Like many collectors in Ethiopia, his bottleneck, with cherry prices as high as they are, is financing. Bekele is a connector and a consummate professional—an ideal partner, willing to engage with every idea for improving his coffee and helping his community. During our visit, Bekele expanded his shaded drying area to cover nearly his entire station, protecting his natural process coffees—traditional, anaerobic and lactic styles—and verifying their final moisture content with a moisture meter."