Coffee Profile:

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Available for purchase through our webshop.

Coffee Profile:

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Available for purchase through our webshop.

Some more information about the Idido Natural Yirgacheffe from Counter Culture’s website:

“History

Before the introduction of fermentation and washing in Ethiopia, all coffee was sundried in its fruit, and the method was handed down from generation to generation. The introduction of the Latin American washing method in 1959 (in Yirgacheffe) interrupted this tradition, and the disruption of the coffee market during the political turmoil of the decades which followed threatened to eliminate great Ethiopian sundried coffees entirely. Coffees were still prepared by this method, but they were somewhat haphazard and casual. The artisan coffee producers of Idido have relearned and perfected the Ethiopian Sundried process, rediscovering this lost art and reintroducing it to the world.

Place

The small village of Idido is just a few miles east of the famous coffee town of Yirgacheffe. We have been purchasing coffee from this village, from now two different sources, off and on for more than 5 years. This village certainly has something special going for it with its coffee production. Yirgacheffe back in the 1950′s was the birthplace of the washed coffee process in Ethiopia, but for the last few years the farmers of Idido have been recognized for the quality of their natural processed coffee.

Production Notes

Process: Natural Sundried
Elevation: 1,900 – 2,100
Varieties: Ethiopian Heirloom
Harvest Time: October – January
Drying: raised beds

Additional Processing Notes

Most Ethiopian natural processed coffees are picked and dried by hand at on woven mats on the ground at the farmers’ homes. While coffee produced in this fashion can be quite good, it is generally more inconsistent and can pick up off flavors very easily. This lot from Idido is ripe coffee cherry delivered to the centralized processing facility owned by the Idido Cooperative. Once received, the ripe cherry is dried in the fruit for up to 3-4 weeks on raised beds. During that time the drying fruit is constantly turned for even drying and sorted again and again to remove any undesirable coffee cherry.

Common question: Is this Idido Misty Valley?

Many coffee enthusiasts may remember a coffee from two years ago named Idido Misty Valley. That coffee was produced by a gentleman named Abdullah Bagersh at a washing stationed he owned in the village of Idido. This lot of Idido Natural Sundried is not from that washing station or Mr. Bagersh. Rather, it was produced by a cooperative of coffee producers in Idido and produced at a facility about one mile away from Bagersh’s washing station. Although the coffee was not processed at the same facility, many of the same farmers were involved in the coffee’s cultivation, and the coffee represents essentially the same process and geography. And, this lot from Idido is simply the best Natural Sundried Ethiopian coffee we have tasted since, well, Idido Misty Valley.

Roast Notes

Natural processed coffee can be a little wild, and sometimes that beatiful fruit tone they have can turn on you (not in a good way). This lot of Idido Natural, though, is really refined and the fruit, while intense, is sweet and crisp, and we have little worry about roasting this coffee light and letting it really shine. Our goal is to make this coffee burst with fruit, only balancing it slightly through roasting to add that rich, sweet cocoa note. To do this we pump up the flame and try to roast this coffee pretty fast, only slightly letting up at the end of the roast to sweeten the cup profile.”

Coffee Profile:

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Available for purchase through our webshop.

More information about this coffee from the Conscious Coffee website:

“Coffee Highlights

Naturally processed in the old world, unwashed, sun-dried tradition, this coffee is jam packed with character.  Unwashed coffees of this caliber require extensive focus and labor when harvesting, sorting, and drying. The quality of this cup reveals the farmers dedication. The fragrance and aroma have distinct dried strawberry notes.  Lower acidity and a solid medium body are complemented with dried fruit flavors while warm cocoa undertones carry the finish to great lengths. We roast this at a lighter degree to highlight the pure berry tones.  Because the body is increased as a result of the unwashed method, the coffee lends itself to all types of brewing.

Fast Facts about Sidama Union

• Established in 2001
• Membership: 86,000 as of 2008 – 45 cooperatives; 39 FLO certified
• Regions: Sidama, in southern Ethiopia
• Website- www.sidacoop.com

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and yet it remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

It is common for coffee farmers to live a very traditional lifestyle, often farming fewer than five acres and living in basic houses without electricity, running water or indoor plumbing.
 The Sidama Coffee Farmers Union (SCFCU) represents the primary level coffee cooperatives in the Sidama region.

SCFCU relies on diverse sources of pre-financing which remains one of the biggest challenges for producers.

Without this pre-financing, coffee farmers would be unable to afford the expenses incurred at the start of each season. Of the 45 cooperatives that receive the financial, marketing, and technical assistance from the SCFCU, an impressive 32 of them currently have access to direct markets. This means that there are no middlemen and the prices they are paid for their coffee is higher.

SCFCU supports the associations with technical assistance, administration, logistics, and market access.

They have a main office in Addis Ababa which has a full cupping facility where each member’s coffee is graded, tasted, and logged into a database which is accessed each year to trace the trend of the coffee quality and output capacity. All of this adds up to a greater capacity to continue producing exceptional coffee.

For those cooperatives that have no direct buyers, SCFCU facilitates the best placement of the cooperatives’ available coffee lots, thereby ensuring they will get the best possible price for their coffee.

SCFCU has become the region’s leader in supplying exceptional quality unwashed Sidamo coffee which is certified organic and registered Fair Trade. As a result of SCFCU’s great success at assisting the producers in improving quality and marketing these high quality coffees, the demand for their wonderful product continues to grow. Thanks are extended to you as well for selecting this special coffee!”

Coffee Profile:

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Available for purchase at our webshop.

More info about Santa Elena from Counter Culture’s website:

“Farm History

Coffee Profile:

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Available for purchase through our webshop.

A note from Conscious about the Honduras COPROCAEL:

“2011 has brought us many positive things which we are grateful for. One of which is our new relationship with this remarkable, 100 member cooperative located near the El Salvador border. The members each maintain medium-sized farms and continue to improve their coffee processing and cup quality standards.  The cup has balanced acidity,  ripe fruit tones, and caramel sweetness. The coop was founded in 2000 and has about 100 members. The cooperative owns and manages a demonstration farm where they took completely arid land and turned into a highly productive farm within a few years through deep mulching and worm composting. They use this land as an example to teach other farmers about better organic farming practices and the positive impact which can result.”

Coffee Profile:

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This is simply a wonderful coffee.  Very drinkable and will please anyone who enjoys a black cup of coffee, and will convert those who don’t.

Available for purchase at our webshop.

Click through Counter Culture’s Flickr set from Concepcion Huista to see some images of the landscape and people. There’s a lovely amount of info about the farm and its growers in the captions.

Coffee Profile:

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Available for purchase at our webshop.

Coffee Profile:

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Available for purchase at our webshop.

More info about Finca El Puente from Counter Culture’s website:

“Farm History

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Coffee Profile:

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Available for purchase through our webshop.

Check out our previous post to read more about the Maya Vinic Cooperative.