This coffee is cultivated by over 232 smallholder farmers in the Dumerso administrative area. Each smallholder brings their hand-picked, ripe coffee to the Dumerso Washing Station, where the cherries join those of neighbors in channels and density floating sorts them into grades. Next the wet cherries move to drying beds where they’re hand sorted, leaving only the best fruit to dry under the Ethiopian sun.
The day’s coffee cherries are brought to the washing station where they are combined in the receiving hopper before being pulped. Once the red fruit is pulped, the parchment coffee flows into fermentation tanks where naturally occurring enzymes and microorganisms help break down and loosen the mucilage layer. Fermentation typically lasts 24-72 hours, depending on temperature and altitude.
After fermentation, the coffee is washed in clean water channels, where workers use wooden paddles or rakes to agitate and remove any remaining mucilage. The parchment is then soaked in fresh water for 6-12 hours to complete the cleaning process. Once washed and soaked, the coffee is spread in a single layer on raised mesh drying beds to dry under the sun. During this stage, workers frequently turn and hand-sort the parchment to ensure even drying and remove defects. At midday, the coffee is covered with mesh or plastic to protect it from excessive heat, and at night or during rain, it is covered to prevent moisture absorption. The drying process generally takes 9-11 days, depending on local weather conditions.
The Berhanu sisters, Hirut and Mahder, own the vertically-integrated washing station and export company that process this coffee. Despite many challenges, they work with grace and integrity, recently finishing a clinic and library for their community and planning to build a daycare at their washing station to help mothers support their families. They recognize that helping their workers live dignified lives positively affects local and global communities. In buying Berhanu sisters’ coffee, you are supporting a woman-owned business and impacting the out grower families they support.
