Suke Quto, Ethiopia

Tesfaye Bekele has been one of our longest coffee partners since the early days of PPP Coffee. We are now entering our seventh consecutive year of bringing in the Suke Quto washed process - a coffee that has become a favourite across our cafes, and has also left a deep impression on us. 

Year after year, we continue to buy from Tesfaye Bekele because of his commitment to produce  high quality coffee. We look forward to receiving the fresh crop every year because they never fail to surprise us each time. Although the flavours change with every crop year,  the quality remains consistently good. The Suke Quto washing station is supported by 171 outgrowers and more than 200 cherry pickers during harvesting season.

In the early days while many were invested in cattle rearing, Tesfaye invested his time and energy into coffee, and became the pioneer of specialty coffee in Guji. However, his journey to put Guji specialty coffee on the map wasn’t an easy one. 

A large bushfire broke out during the late 90’s and Tesfaye wanted to make use of this opportunity to replant the forests together with coffee trees. While the community agreed to his proposal, they quickly dismissed it after finding out it will take another four to five years before the seedlings yield cherries. Tesfaye then started his own coffee nursery, and appointed his own team to overlook it. However, this was also unsuccessful as they experienced years without results. Tesfaye finally resigned from his job and became a coffee farmer. His efforts finally paid off as after the first harvest, and the community returned with full support for the coffee plantations. 

Blessed with consistent rainfall and climate, a high altitude, and fertile soil, Tesfaye Bekele's farm continues to flourish as he continually makes improvements to both his perspective to farming and also incorporating new technologies. 

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.

Today, we can all enjoy these coffees from Suke Quto because of Tesfaye. He is definitely one of the innovative forces that has contributed to the success of Guji coffees. 

Now that you have read about your coffees, it's time to start brewing!

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