Ethiopia Ayla Shantawene Washed (JUL 26)

Ethiopia's Sidamo region is one of the most renowned coffee-producing areas in the world, known for washing stations that each reflect the unique terroir of their surroundings. This lot comes from the Shantawene community in the Bensa district, where coffee is the main source of income for producers farming small plots of 0.1 to 2 hectares.

At the Ayla washing station, cherries are hand-sorted and immersed in water to remove floaters before being depulped. This lot is part of an improved process project using a five-day fermentation with water changed every 24 hours at ambient temperatures of 18.5–20.5°C. The parchment is then dried on raised African beds under parabolic shade nets for 15 days.

Coffee remains central to preserving agricultural heritage in this region, where many farms are remote and families often lack access to clean water, electricity, and schools. Continued market access for coffee helps sustain farming livelihoods here and stands as one of the few forces slowing the region's shift toward more environmentally damaging crops like khat and eucalyptus.

This coffee was grown using organic practices by certified organic producers at origin.