Ethiopia Uraga Gogogu

The Uraga Woreda is home to some of the highest altitude coffees we buy, many of the farms topping out at 2300 meters above sea level. Altitude plays a role in coffee density, the higher altitude zones slowing rates of maturation, which in turn produces a much denser coffee with higher potential for sweetness and acidity. The village of Wate Gogogu is one of those dizzying altitudinal zones, and where this coffee was pulled from. Hundreds of small-holder farmers, most with less than a hectare of coffee planted, deliver their coffee harvest to this privately-run washing station, Gogogu Bekaka. The site is owned and operated by a man named Kadir Jabril, the younger brother to Feko, whose coffee "Yabitu" we've sold in the past. This is a fully traceable lot, a feat that wasn't possible only a couple years back unless buying from Unions and Cooperatives. Previous to the Ethiopia Commodities Exchange ("ECX") loosening restrictions on who could export coffee, washing stations like this one were required to sell their coffee to the ECX, who in turn would bulk together as "Shakiso Grade 1", or  "Guji Grade 1" coffee. With the newer rules, we are now able to buy in a more direct way in Ethiopia which provides an added layer of transparency, not to mention, coffee provenance.