Ulster County residents can order directly at copticlightcoffee@gmail.com to schedule a FREE pick-up or delivery
Shipping: (1 bag $3) (2-6 bags $4) (7 or more $5)
Head south on the Addis Ababa-Moyale highway, keep going past Yirgacheffe and drive through the otherworldly cloud-crowned mountains of the area, and you’ll eventually make it to the bustling little town of Bule Hora. Snaking away from Bule Hora are older roads – strikingly different from, and much more challenging than, the new highway that leads to them – that carry you on muddy paths to verdant hills and green fields. It is around this fertile area of Kercha district that Tsegay Hagos Tesfaye established the Sasaba mill and washing station.
Equipped with a large pulper and over 600 African drying beds, Sasaba processes coffee received from over 500 smallholders working in the hills surrounding the wet mill. Like much of Kercha, the small plots of land around Sasaba sit at high altitudes around the 2000-meter mark. The Sasaba smallholders are a mix of Gedeo and Guji farmers, many of whom have lived here for generations, growing coffee next to each other. Their coffee grows on the slopes of the hills around Sasaba shaded by a mix of existing forest trees and those planted by the farmers.
Tsegay Hagos knows that the success of the Sasaba mill is closely tied to that of the smallholders. “Sasaba does not grow alone. We support our farmers and train them, so they can one day export their own coffee.” The company has a very close relationship with the farmers who it works with, always ready to lend a helping hand – whether it means transportation for medical emergencies or loans during the lean months of the rainy season. “We are by their side, whatever happens”, says Tsegay, “and because of that, they are by ours”, he adds. This leads to a positive spiral, with both smallholder and mill benefiting from better coffee and better sales.
This fruit forward natural-processed coffee is incredibly tropical and jammy with notes of peach, strawberry, and honey blossom. It is definitely a special coffee which we are excited to share with you, so please enjoy!
Country, Region: Ethiopia, Guji, Kercha
Washing Station: Sasaba, managed by Tsegay Hagos Tesfaye
Processing: Natural, dried on raised beds for 15-20 days
Variety: Heirloom
Elevation: 2050 masl
Tasting Notes: Strawberry, Peach, Honey Blossom
