Shoondhisha — Ethiopia / Natural Process

Shoondhisa — Ethiopia

Origin

This coffee comes from the Suke Washing Station, originally the central washing station of Sookoo Coffee, and still an integral one to this day. The washing station buys cherry from approximately 35 smallholder farmers, in the Shoondhisa sub-kebele (sub-ward) of the Suke Quto kebele (ward).

Guji has gained significant attention as a coffee growing region in the last 10 years, as greater efforts in traceability have been made to distinguish between the various regions of Ethiopian coffee production.

In Ethiopia, the average coffee farm is 2,5 hectares in size, with coffees trees interspersed with subsistence crops, in fully or semi-forested environments. Farming practises in Ethiopia are traditionally organic, since long before the western world brought about the idea of certification. Whilst the coffee trees get to enjoy a healthy, natural environment in which to grow, the low density of these farms mean that an Ethiopian producer’s average yield remains below one kilogram of cherry per tree per year.

Project

Sookoo’s approach of buying cherry rather than parchment directly from producers, and the expertise with which its founder Ture Waji handles the drying of these coffees, makes Sookoo an indispensable asset to the community.

During harvest, Ture spends his days driving between his various washing stations, which means months spent on the road, as more time on the ground overseeing drying means better quality, which in turn means better prices. This is our fifth consecutive year of working with Sookoo Coffee. The work that Ture has been doing to elevate the standard of natural Guji coffee has been reflected in the samples that show up better and better, year after year, and makes our decision to work with Sookoo an obvious one. Our team had the good fortune to meet Ture earlier this year and learn more about his operation, as well as enjoy his immense energy and his passion for his community.

Coffee

This coffee is a yet another example of Ture’s fine work, with its full-bodied candy sweetness and bright floral texture. This particular coffee stands out from its cohort thanks to the pronounced notes of strawberry that accompany the more typical notes of blueberry, along with the rose florals. All of this together makes it a perfect candidate for a bright espresso or even a full-bodied filter.