Country/Region: Ethiopia/Guji

Varietal: Welicho & Kurume

Processing: Fully-Washed

Elevation: 1850 - 2200 m.a.s.l.

We Taste: Nectarine, White Florals, Citrus

“I don’t consider myself to be a coffee farmer, because coffee is everything to me. All my time and energy are placed into the beans that I harvest and process.” Tesfaye Bekele, the founder of Suke Quto Farm, explains. Suke Quto has been one of our long-term coffee partners since 2014, and with each harvest we are reminded yet again of Tesfaye's story.

Tesfaye Bekele is one of the people that put Guji coffee on the world map. Having worked in a government role to protect the environment and natural resources, he saw first-hand how large bushfires destroyed forests from 1997 to 1999. Tesfaye sought to rebuild the area, which was dominated by cattle farms.

Having come from a coffee-producing family, he proposed the idea of replanting forest with coffee trees to enhance diversity. Distributing seedlings with a pickup truck, he was faced with resistance when people asked how long this crop would take to produce cherries - typically three to five years.

Disappointed by the lack of faith, he started his own coffee plot to try and show how coffee could be a great way to preserve Guji's forests. After his first harvest, the community came back to him and asked him for seedlings. From there on, Guji started becoming known for coffee production, thanks to Tesfaye's altruistic contributions, which includes community projects to build schools.

Today, Suke Quto owns 221 hectares in the Guji highlands, and also a washing station and drying mill which takes cherries from 171 outgrowers. 200 seasonal workers are employed to pick and process the coffee at the mills during harvest. Employing his knowledge, Tesfaye maintains the soil health by organic recycling through litterfall, root residue, and shade trees. Suke Quto coffees are all Organic and Rainforest Alliance certified.

Comprised primarily of two varietals endemic to Ethiopia, coffee cherries are stringently harvested and sorted for ripeness, and depulped before undergoing a long fermentation for up to 48 hours in concrete tanks. Coffees are then laid out to dry over the course of 12 to 16 days, regularly turned and protected in tarpaulin during the midday and during the night to ensure even and consistent drying.

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