Traceability Project

Ethiopia

Washed Yirgacheffe Gr.1 – Gedeb (6380F)

Region: South Ethiopia, Gedeo

Municipality: Gedeb woreda

Producer: Smallholder farmers

Altitude: 1,940 m a.s.l.

Cultivation: Mix of sun and shade grown

Harvesting period: November through December

Soil type: Red clay soil

Varietal: 74112, 74110

Processing method: Natural, 24h fermentation

Drying method: Sun-dried on shaded raised beds

Washed Process

The harvested coffee cherries are first selected, either mechanically or in water tanks, to remove unripe cherries and other foreign matter. They are then processed with depulpers to remove the skin (exocarp) and pulp (outer mesocarp).

With a portion of the mucilage (inner mesocarp) left on the parchment (endocarp), the coffee beans are fermented in water tanks for around 14 to 36 hours. During this time, the microorganisms in the beans help break down the mucilage with their enzymes.

The beans are then washed with fresh water and laid to dry on either cement patios or raised beds, or in some cases placed in mechanical dryers. They are turned regularly to avoid unwanted mold and further fermentation, and when the beans reach around 11% humidity they are stored in parchment (endocarp), before being milled and bagged.

Distretto di Gedeb

Grown on the Ethiopian highlands at nearly 2,000 metres above sea level, this coffee reflects the character of an extraordinary microclimate, where the plants thrive under a mix of shade and sun, on fertile, well-drained red soil.
Production in the area is sustainable, with an annual yield of 6.5 quintals per hectare. The most recent harvest was exceptionally productive, offering meaningful economic support to the local smallholder farming families.
The cherries are hand-picked with care, selecting only fully ripe fruit. They are pulped and processed within 6 hours of harvest, followed immediately by a controlled fermentation of 24 hours. The beans are then laid on raised beds to dry in the sun, protected by shade nets.