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Ethiopia — Yirgacheffe

Known as the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia continues to produce some of the most interesting and dynamic flavour profiles. One of the biggest challenges facing growers in Ethiopia is the large number of “small holder” famers with limited access to the marketplace. Many of the country’s exports have historically come from private wet mills which purchased cherry directly from marginal farmers.

The much talked about ECX (Ethiopia Commodity Exchange) was created to act as an organised marketplace, allowing buyers and sellers to come together to trade, being assured of quality, quantity, payment and delivery, with the purpose of bringing “integrity, security and efficiency” to the Ethiopian agricultural sector.

What does this mean? Coffee is delivered to the ECX for quality analysis and categorised based on quality, distinct flavour profiles and by certain regions (Yirgacheffe being one of them). These many small lots are then combined indiscriminately and made available for purchase based on random type samples which are evaluated by the buyers. Although co-operatives and estates can by-pass the ECX, the majority of the countries’ small holder coffees are exported in this way. For the speciality market, this means zero traceability in terms of exactly where and who grew which particular coffee. However, selecting top lots with distinct character continues to be possible. This lot is a washed Yirgacheffe purchased via the ECX.