Producer: Hambela Washing Station
Farm: Smallholders
Region: Guji Zone
Altitude: 2,350 masl
Varietal: Kurume, Dega
Process: Natural
Roast: Light
Notes: Blueberry, Lemon Verbena, Chocolate Ganache

Imported by our friends at Crop to Cup:

"Tagel Alemayehu is the owner of Olkai Coffee and a former race circuit driver, whose efficiency as a driver is matched only by his humility and warmth. For Tagel, coffee runs deep: he grew up in Bule Hora, the son of a local coffee trader who built the first washing station there and installed the first Pinhalense dry huller in Ethiopia. Starting in 2004, he worked as washing station manager at one of first specialty natural stations in Guji, and founded Olkai in 2018 as government export regulations eased.

"Olkai is a family business; Tagel's wife works as the export manager. Olkai operates a half-dozen washing stations in the south, dotting the most sought-after regions for quality in Guji, Bule Hora, and Sidama. Tagel’s ties to the community were forged over 20 years of collecting cherry from these regions. Community members later sold land to make space for him to operate a washing station in their community, and many stopped us along our journey out of Hambela to say hello to Tagel and chat."