ROAST LEVEL: LIGHT

TASTING NOTES: -FLORAL-RASPBERRY-LEMON-JASMINE

GROWER: Smallholder farmers organized around the Banko Chelchele washing station

REGION: Banko Chelchele Kabele, Gedeb Woreda, Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region

PROCESS: Washed and dried on raised beds 

VARIETY: Indigenous landraces and locally selected cultivars

ALTITUDE: 1900 - 2100 Meters

SOIL: Vertisol

The communities surrounding Gedeb reach some of the highest growing elevations for coffee in the world and are a truly enchanting part of the long drive into Guji. Banko Chelchele is one of the communities east of Gedeb, part of a greater area known as “Worka”. This dense corner of Gedeb includes farmers that are cooperative-affiliated, as well independent washing stations of various types, many of which are simply named “Chelchele” or, in this case, “Worka Chelchele” after the local municipality itself.  

396 local farmers contribute cherry to Worka Chelchele. The washing station was just built in 2021, on 2.5 hectares of land with 12 fermentation tanks and over 250 raised beds for drying. Washed coffees at Worka Chelchele are depulped and fermented for 48 hours, washed clean with fresh water, soaked again in fresh water, and dried on raised beds for an average of 18 days. Dried parchment is conditioned on site in a dedicated warehouse prior to being transported to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, for final milling and export.