Local Heirloom Cultivars from Chelbesa Coffee Mill in the Gedeo Zone, Yirgacheffe

This coffee is sourced from family-owned farms organized around the Chelbesa coffee mill located in the Gedeo Zone. The Gedeo Zone is named after the Gedeo people who are indigenous to this area. Small coffee farmers deliver ripe cherries to the Chelbesa mill where the cherries are carefully selected and immediately placed on raised beds carefully constructed to ensure proper air circulation and temperature control for an optimal drying process. Cherries are also turned regularly on the beds to prevent damage during the drying process. The cherries are stored in a local warehouse after the moisture is reduced to between 11.5 and 12 percent, and then transported to Addis Ababa where the coffee is milled and exported.