Ethiopia Yukro #8

Whole bean coffee

We roast to order on Mondays and Wednesdays and ship the following day. Orders will be included in a roast if they’re received by 5pm Eastern Time the day before.

Origin: Ethiopia

Region: Jimma

Locality: Agaro Gera

Producer: Kata Muduga Cooperative Union

Washing Station: Tuma Tesso

Altitude: 1980 - 2000 meters

Process: Washed, dried on raised beds

Varieties: Ethiopia Landraces

Tasting notes: Nectarine, lemon-lime, honey, golden raspberry

In the highlands of the Jimma zone of western Ethiopia is a group of cooperatives called the Kata Muduga Cooperative Union, centered around the town of Agaro. The kernel of Kata Muduga was created about a decade ago when USAID’s Technoserve project, whose focus was on improving the lives of African coffee farmers by helping them get better prices, established the first washing stations in the area. Until then the coffee grown in the forests of Agaro was mostly produced as low-grade naturals, flowing into the market at low prices with no distinction or differentiation. Nano Challa, Duromina, and Yukro were among the earliest cooperative washing stations to be built, and for the first time the singular character and unique micro-regional qualities of these coffees were on display. While each coop produces a distinct coffee, they are unified by their honeyed sweetness, bright citrus, ripe stone fruit, and clean elegance. Their memberships have grown dramatically as the promise of better prices has been realized and new washing stations continue to be built to accommodate the increasing demand.

Tuma Tesso is one of the newest coop members of Kata Muduga and so far seems to be one with incredible promise. According to our sourcing partners at Red Fox Coffee Merchants, the members of Tuma Tesso farm their coffee in the same forests as members of Kolla Bolcha and Biftu Gudina (two highly renowned coop members of KM), and it borders the land of two other giants, Duromina and Hunda Oli. This is Tuma Tesso’s very first year of production and not only is the quality outstanding, the profile is heavily fruited, layered, and exciting. We are fortunate to take full advantage of Red Fox’s deep roots with Kata Muduga, whose relationship together goes back to the first year of the Technoserve project and has grown stronger every year since, allowing Red Fox to have their pick of the very best lots the cooperatives have to offer each harvest.

With this lot from Tuma Tesso we taste ripe nectarine, lemon-lime, honey, and golden raspberry.

Transparency

This is our third year sourcing coffee from the Kata Muduga Union through Red Fox Coffee Merchants, and our first year buying from Tuma Tesso. We wrote a forward contract in the height of the harvest to buy 15 bags from Kata Muduga, split among a few different lots. Our friend Joel Edwards at Red Fox Coffee Merchants sent us a pre-ship sample of this lot to fill part of that contract. We scored it an 88 and purchased 5 60kg bags for $4.45/lb EXW. On the day we signed this contract the Coffee Commodity price was $1.27/lb.