This Natural from Banko Gotiti station is bursting with the delicate florals, jammy berries and warming chocolates we all know and love from Yirgacheffe.

Farming methods in the region remain largely traditional. Yirgacheffe farmers typically intercrop their coffee plants with other food crops. This method is common among smallholders because it maximizes land use and provides food for their families.  

In addition to remaining traditionally intercropped, most farms are also organic by default. Farmers in Yirgacheffe typically use very few, if any, fertilizers or pesticides. Most farm work is done manually by the immediate family. 

To capitalize on the magnificent climate, the station provides training to help farmers produce better quality cherry. Training focuses on procedures for harvesting and transporting cherry.

Farmers selectively handpick cherry and deliver it to Banko Gotiti washing station. At the station, employees hand sort incoming cherry to remove any under, or over-ripes or damaged cherry.

While Ethiopia is famous as coffee’s birthplace, today it remains a specialty coffee industry darling for its incredible variety of flavors. While full traceability has been difficult in recent history, new regulations have made direct purchasing possible. We’re partnering directly with farmers to help them produce top quality specialty lots that are now completely traceable, adding value for farmers and roasters, alike.

The exceptional quality of Ethiopian coffee is due to a combination of factors. The genetic diversity of coffee varieties means that we find a diversity of flavor, even between (or within) farms with similar growing conditions and processing. In addition to varieties, processing methods also contribute to end quality. The final key ingredients for excellent coffee in Ethiopia are the producing traditions that have created the genetic diversity, processing infrastructure and great coffee we enjoy today.

Most producers in Ethiopia are smallholders, and the majority continue to cultivate coffee using traditional methods. As a result, most coffee is grown with no chemical fertilizer or pesticide use. Coffee is almost entirely cultivated, harvested and dried using manual systems.

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Banko Gotiti is sourced from family-owned farms organized around the Banko Gotiti Cooperative located in the village of Banko Gotiti in the southern district of Gedeb in the Gedeo Zone, Ethiopia. The cooperative was established in 2012 as a separate entity from the larger Worka Cooperative, and currently has approximately 300 members. Banko Gotiti Cooperative is well known for the best coffee cherry selection in Ethiopia.

Natural, also known as dry processing, involves drying the entire coffee cherry. This process takes a much longer time than washed processing and varies depending on humidity, temperature and amount of sunlight. Ordinarily takes place on raised African style raised beds so that there is airflow all around and the coffee itself must be frequently turned. When the desired moisture content is achieved the dried cherries are milled down to the internal seed or bean. The sweet, fruity mucilage of the cherry penetrates the inner beans during this process, leaving a very noticeable fruitiness that can range from mild to extreme and often presents flavours of berries or cherry as in the case of this nice coffee.