Producer: Mustefa Abalulessa Abagibe
Farm: Koye Farm
Region: Gomma District, Oromia
Altitude: 6,890 feet | 2,100 masl
Varietal: Heirloom
Process: Natural
Roast: Light
Notes: Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Pecan Pie, Redcurrant

Imported by our friends at Crop to Cup.

Koye Farm is a gem within Western Ethiopia’s Gomma District and the larger Oromia region. Many government and non-governmental agricultural partners trust the farm’s owner, Mustefa Abalulessa Abagibe, to carefully harvest and process cherry down to high quality seed that is then distributed to government seed banks and highland farmers across the region. At Mustefa’s facility rows and rows of dried parchment are covered in fine ash to inhibit mold growth while in storage before planting. Several years ago Mustefa and his brother Musa began farming for green bean export, Crop to Cup being their first buyer.

Before much of the undergrowth was cleared to farm coffee (dense tree coverage remains for shade growing), this jungle parcel at almost 7,000 feet above sea level was a hideout for Mustefa’s father, Abalulessa, a guerilla fighting against the Derg, an oppressive military government. Abalulessa died in 1977, when Mustefa was two, and as part of an amnesty and reconciliation program, the government gave the land to Mustefa’s family. Mustefa now farms this land along with another plot 7km away with his brother Musa.