Ethiopia is a coffee powerhouse. It's the birthplace of the plant, the seventh largest producing country in the world and one of the leading consumers of coffee as well.
Despite all this, one could argue that there has never been a more difficult time to have quality coffee exported out of the country. Unusual weather patterns in the west caused by climate change have caused quality to go up and down, and political instability coupled with the global supply shortage of shipping containers has made it challenging to ensure coffee is moving out of the country in a timely manner.
Out of the over 100 million people living in Ethiopia, almost 15 million rely on coffee for income. Coffee accounts for 60% of foreign income and is 40% of total country exports.
All of that is to say, “the show must go on”, if you will. While this time of year does not follow the usual calendar for fresh crop Ethiopia, this coffee from Gure Dako just arrived at our warehouse and is tasting great.
This is a washed coffee from a relatively new cooperative in the western region of Ethiopia. The Gure Dako cooperative is located a few miles west of Jimma, which is where our Kossa Geshe coffee comes from. Gure Dako consists of about 100 farmers and they only started collecting cherries in 2019. The cooperative is a member of Kata Muduga Union, which is a group of leading cooperatives in the West of Ethiopia near the areas of Agaro and Jimma.
Keeping track of the ever changing landscape of cooperatives and unions can be a challenge, as unions tend to disband and reform almost annually. However, these unions are a vital part of the Ethiopian coffee economy. One incentive for cooperatives like Gure Dako to join the Kata Muduga Union is to limit the difficulty and cost of transporting fresh cherries and to play a stronger role in the cooperative governing structure. Gure Dako farmers can now more easily access training services from Kata Muduga and through the union's model they receive both a cash payment upon cherry delivery plus a second payment after coffee export.
Washed Ethiopian coffees are some of my all time favorites. This coffee has a tea like body and a sugary sweet taste. The citrus and lime acidity is balanced with notes of lavender and earl grey tea. This flavor profile from the Gure Dako Cooperative is reminiscent of previous offerings we have had like Mr Girma Eshetu.
This is our first time buying coffee from this cooperative and we are very excited to share it with everyone.
Notes: Juicy Blood Orange, Earl Grey, Lime, Lavender