Limmu Kossa Sheka forest washed

LIMMU KOSSA

When Gidhe Berhe created Limmu Kossa in 2000, he did so with the vision of contributing something to the region. He knew coffee could offer great opportunities, but he understood that he was a foreigner from a different part of Ethiopia coming to a land of proud and independent Oromo people. Gidhe didn’t just care for the native trees and nourish the soil in a regenerative paradise, but developed a micro-economy in the region that benefited everyone. Gideh provided seedlings and assistance to surrounding farmers and developed the community projects villagers asked for: a church, schools, medical centers, even roads.

Enter Abiy. Translator, development agent, Dutch resident but with local Oromo roots… He became interested in coffee, and in this particular project, in 2004 when he met Gidhe. Our Ethiopia project is founded in full on the harmony between Abiy and Gidhe. If Gidhe is the local leader, Abiy is the ambassador. Without Gidhe, there would be no island of hope in the region; without Abiy, nobody here would know about it...

Today, Limmu Kossa's efforts have spread to another region: The Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve, one of the most sustainable coffee projects we've encountered. Additionally, neighbours are now taking their coffee quality to the next level, exporting to the international market for the first time through us.

PARADISE ON DONKEY BACK

“In terms of development, there is not much going on here," says Abiy about Sheka. "Farmers in this region have almost no opportunities for economic development, and the coffee they harvested mostly came from old trees and was cheaply sold. This region is quite different from Limmu Kossa."

Located about 370 kilometres from Jimma, in the southeast, Sheka is also one of the richest and most diverse regions we've come across. even protected as a biosphere by the UN. This reserve includes forests, bamboo thickets, wetlands, agricultural land, rural settlements, and towns. It covers a unique biogeographic unit extending from cold and very wet highlands to hot lowland areas.

Farmers who work in this area are highly committed to the sustainable use of the forests. Still, they often need more income to avoid logging and unsustainable forest exploitation. To Gidhe, growing coffee seemed like a perfect solution, and so, as with his other projects, he embarked on this adventure. The region's rich soil is the only solace for its inaccessibility - coffee can only be transported out of the farm by slow but reliable donkeys and mules. Added to this, the processing can become compromised because of the constant rain (it rains 9 months a year!). The coffee is staggernly rich in florals and fruits though, and we are so proud to support this ambitious ecological masterpiece of a project.

CULTIVARS

Heirloom varieties

ELEVATION

1680 -1,950 meters above sea level

NOTABLE

Sheka is a coffee project developed within the Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve in the region of Sheka. Grown in absolute harmony with nature, coffee cherries are harvested by farmers with few viable economic opportunities. The transportation of the cherries is extremely labour-intensive, since the roads tend to get extremely muddy during the rainy season. Roads are cleared to facilitate transportation. Additionally, the drying is extremely complicated because it rains nine months of the year.

PROCESSING

Cherries are hand-picked by seasonal pickers on the estate. On delivery, all cherries are pre-screened by controllers, after which lots are separated into the washed lots (early and midseason) and naturals (late season).

Fully washed: hand-picked, pre-sorted, floated, pulped, wet fermented for 12 hours, soaked and washed, dried on raised beds, and dry-milled all under the supervision of the farm owner, Giday.

Natural: fully ripe cherries are spread evenly on raised beds and turned every hour to prevent molding, especially in the first few days. Sun-dried for at least 12 days.