Tasting coffee from single farmers in Ethiopia is a rare and special experience. Most Ethiopian coffee exports are sourced from cooperatives or private companies that purchase cherries and blend the harvests of multiple farms during processing. While this streamlines operations in a country where average farm sizes are small, it also anonymizes the work of individual farmers.

Image: Girma Sintayehu is sharing his observation on the importance of stumping old coffee trees at Biloya with Jabanto farmers.

The Jabanto farmers group, formed in 2017, enables a select group of farmers to directly market their coffees to buyers. Partnering with exporter G Broad Trading, these farmers now have the opportunity to showcase their distinct profiles outside Ethiopia, allowing us the privilege of tasting truly unique coffees. 

Girma Sintayehu and Girma Bekele, founding members of the Jabanto farmers group in the village of Biloya, previously sold their cherries to a local cooperative and produced small amounts of natural coffee at home. After forming Jabanto, they focused exclusively on natural sundried production, but wanted to meet the growing demand for different profiles. After years of saving and research, they built small washing stations to produce washed coffees and, around the same time, began experimenting with alternative processing methods uncommon in Ethiopia.

Girma Sintayehu is producing honey-processed coffees using cherries from his farms near Biloya and Debo. After harvesting, the ripe cherries are depulped, removing the skin and leaving a seed covered in a sticky layer of pulp called mucilage. In a traditional washed process, the coffee would ferment in a tank (sometimes with water, but often without) until environmental yeasts and bacteria soften the mucilage, which is then washed away. However, in the honey process, the fermentation step is skipped, and the sticky, depulped coffee goes directly to raised beds for drying. This method tones down the bright florals and citrus notes typical of washed Ethiopian coffee and imparts a deeper sweetness and fuller body.

Image: Staff from GBroad Trading with Girma Sentayehu (pictured center) in his coffee warehouse in Biloya, Kochere.

Just a few hundred meters down the road, Girma Bekele uses anaerobic fermentation to process ripe cherries from his farms. The cherries are placed in sealed plastic barrels with a one-way valve that releases gas produced during fermentation while preventing oxygen from entering. In this oxygen-free environment, naturally occurring microorganisms ferment the coffee by consuming the fruits’ sugars and releasing carbon dioxide. As the carbon dioxide pushes out any remaining oxygen, it creates different fermentation byproducts than those produced in aerobic conditions. This results in vibrant, bubblegum-like flavors—a supercharged version of the natural sundried profile found across the country.

Image: Girma Bekele of the Malabu coffee farmers' group, part of Jabanto.

Exploring unconventional processing methods comes with its challenges. Limited resources, lack of experience, and uncontrollable climate conditions can lead to inconsistent results or undesirable flavors. There’s always the risk that investing time and resources into these innovations won’t pay off, especially if there isn’t a buyer for these experimental coffees. That’s why the GEM series was created––to support producer-led innovation. When combined, the experimental lots Girma Sintayehu and Girma Bekele produce a range of flavors that are somehow both familiar and foreign to us. While our team has never encountered anything quite like them from Ethiopia before, these unique flavors could only be produced there. Thank you for supporting our relentless pursuit of coffee perfection, from farm to cup.