Coffee 10 oz - Shakisso Guji, Ethiopia

Haile Gebre is well known as a leader and pioneer for coffee growing in the Guji region.  However, his feelings towards coffee growing in Ethiopia has always been mixed.  At the age of 10, him and his family fled their home near Yirgacheffe when feudal lords claimed their land to produce coffee on a large scale.

As a young adult in the 1970s, after some back and forth from the army to University, Haile was presented with an opportunity to do meaningful work for his country at the Ministry of Land Reform and the Cooperative Institute in Awassa.  He was known to be a passionate and opinionated official - too much so for some.  His active approach towards sensitive social issues eventually brought him a 3-year prison sentence. When released, Haile decided to leave Ethiopia to study Business Management in Moscow.

In 1984, Haile graduated and returned to Addis Ababa to teach Cooperative Management.  From there, he became the Oromia Regional Governor and established the Cooperative Bank of Oromia Cooperative Union with a specific focus on coffee cooperatives.

In 2001, Haile together with his wife and seven daughters returned to his coffee roots and made a home in the highlands of Guji. There, he inherited a piece of family land suitable to grow coffee. Haile started to dream big. He spread seedlings among locals and convinced them that this crop would change their lives. Today this dream has grown into more than 45 washing stations and 55 dry mills in the Guji region.

The beautiful coffee we bring to you today was grown on Haile's family farm, Shakisso. We selected Shakisso for its unique honeydew and berry notes, rich vanilla sweetness with hint of florals in the finish.  Please enjoy!