What defines the Yirgacheffe coffee of Gedeb town?

Two villages around Gedeb town in southern Yirgacheffe, Worka Sakaro and Halo Hartume, grow coffee at roughly 1,950 to 2,200 meters, each with about 400 farming households. Worka washed beans show floral and fruity acidity, a bright juicy body, and a brown sugar finish, which is why they suit drinkers who prefer washed Yirgacheffe.

The Halo Hartume processing plant is run by the Mijane family. Owner Mijane Woresa has worked in coffee for more than thirty years, and the plant now holds an export license to trade directly with overseas buyers. It also helps smallholders process green coffee beans and funds local road and school projects.

In the southern part of Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe region, around the town of Gedeb, lie two coffee-dependent villages, Worka and Halo Hartume, both at high altitude and known for outstanding quality. The private processing plant in Halo Hartume village is run by the Mijane family, which has built mutually beneficial partnerships with smallholders and also helped drive community development. After 2000, the cooperative movement and private processing plants competed with each other, together improving coffee quality and farmers' incomes. This article introduces the background of these two production areas and explains the flavor characteristics of Worka washed coffee beans—rich floral and fruity acidity, bright juicy body, and a brown sugar finish. Front Street Coffee recommends this bean; it is suitable for lovers of washed Yirgacheffe.

Worka Sakaro village is located in Gedeb Woreda in the southern part of the Yirgacheffe region, about 30 kilometers from the well-known town of Yirgacheffe, to the southeast. The altitude here is quite high, between 2,000 and 2,200 meters. Most nearby residents make a living from growing coffee, with about 400 farming households, and the coffee produced is of excellent quality.

Halo Hartume village is also located in Gedeb Woreda, about 40 kilometers south of Yirgacheffe town, at an altitude of about 1,950 to 2,100 meters. About 400 local farmers also depend on the coffee industry for their livelihood, and the coffee produced there is likewise of very high quality.

There is a private processing plant in the village, also named after Halo Hartume. Its owner, Mijane Woresa, has been involved in the coffee industry for more than thirty years and built his own processing plant several years ago; it is currently managed by his eldest son, Daniel Mijane. In addition to helping nearby smallholders process green coffee beans, the processing plant recently obtained an export license, allowing it to trade directly with overseas specialty coffee buyers.

The Mijane family has formed a good cooperative relationship with the smallholders of Halo Hartume village. They not only work together to improve quality and share profits, but also fund road repairs and school facilities for the community.

After 2000, a wave of cooperative movements emerged in Ethiopia, which both spurred the development of specialty coffee and brought more support to small coffee farmers.

As cooperatives continued to expand and production rose rapidly, the problem of uneven quality between different lots gradually emerged, which in turn gave rise to another wave of private processing plants aimed at pursuing high quality.

Farmers can decide for themselves whether to sell their coffee cherries to a cooperative or a processing plant. As long as the quality is good enough, they can get a good price, so everyone is more willing to work on quality.

In addition to price incentives, private processing plants also provide support in cultivation techniques and funding to attract farmers to cooperate. This healthy competition has greatly benefited farmers.

Yirgacheffe Washed, Gedeb Woreda, Hartume Kebele

■　Country: Ethiopia / Ethiopia

■　Region: Yirgacheffe ‧ Gedeb Woreda

■　Producer: Worka Sakaro smallholders / Worka Sakaro

■　Altitude: 2,000–2,200 meters

■　Variety: Heirloom

■　Processing method: Fully washed / Full Washed

■　Flavor: This washed Yirgacheffe has a rich floral and fruity acidity, interwoven with the sweet-and-tart flavors of lime, citrus, and cranberry. It has a bright juicy body, is sweet and full-bodied, and finishes with a brown sugar-like sweetness. Front Street Coffee recommends this bean as an excellent choice for experiencing the washed Yirgacheffe style.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.