About the Producer

Situated at 1,925 meters above sea level, the Aricha washing station in Yirgacheffe processes cherries from over 300 local farmers. The region’s distinct wet and dry seasons provide optimal conditions for coffee processing, particularly for Natural lots. Yirgacheffe’s farming practices are deeply traditional. Farmers often intercrop coffee plants with food crops, maximizing land use and ensuring food security. Most farms are organic by default, with minimal use of fertilizers or pesticides, and farm work is typically done by family members.

To improve cherry quality, the Aricha washing station offers training on best practices for harvesting and transporting cherries. Upon arrival, employees hand-sort the cherries to remove under-ripes, over-ripes, or damaged fruit. Accepted cherries are then dried in thin layers on 280 drying beds for about 18 days, with each bed coded for easy traceability.

Known as the “Land of Many Springs,” Yirgacheffe features ideal topography, elevation, and water sources, making it a prime location for exceptional coffee production. It is both a coffee classification and a woreda in the Gedeo Zone, encompassing many towns in the southern region of Ethiopia.

Typically, Yirgacheffe coffee farmers are multi-generational smallholders, often farming just a few acres. Most coffee is sold as cherries to centralized washing stations, which help refine flavour profiles.

Regarded by many as the birthplace of coffee, Yirgacheffe is home to coffee trees that are a naturally occurring mix of heirloom varieties found in coffee gardens and forests. The region is bordered by Kochere to the south, Oromia Zone to the west, Wenago to the north, and Bule to the east.