Caravan - Ethiopia

Origin

Musa Aba Lulesa's farm near the town of Bashasha from the Agaro region of Djimmah in Ethiopia

Variety

Local Landrace (a.k.a. Heirloom) and JARC Selections

Processing

Natural

Altitude

2000 - 2150 masl

Roast Profile

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Caravan Coffee

Floral notes of Blood Orange and Persimmon

Coffee Facts

Our sourcing ethos at Caravan has always been based around two key principles, the first being mutually beneficial trade, paying fair prices for every coffee we source without exception. The second is a clear line of provenance and traceability between producer and roaster, with communication and partnership a cornerstone to effective and ethical trading.

The one exception to the latter principle has always been Ethiopia. Whilst top-grade Ethiopian coffee has always attracted a fair price, regulations regarding the sale of coffee through the Ethiopian commodity exchange (ECX) have long stymied true provenance. To maintain some degree of traceability was possible through brokers, buying larger lots from co-operatives or well known washing stations, but the line of information and communication was often thin and tenuous.

Recent and well received changes to these regulations has opened up the path for greater transparency in our Ethiopian sourcing, as smallholder farmers are now about to receive private export licenses to sell coffee outside of the ECX, allowing a clear line of traceability between farmer and roaster, something we will always champion with our coffee buying plans.

This coffee was produced by Musa Aba Lulesa, in the town of Bashasha in the Agaro region of Djimmah, Ethiopia. Agaro has long had a reputation for producing top-notch coffees, as it is the location of several well-known co-operatives like Biftu Gudina, Duromina, and Hunda Oli.

Buying from a single producer allows us to focus on a more narrow and nuanced set of attributes in the cup, exploring new and interesting flavours that may have been lost in the mix of a co-op’s lot.

Having started with a 6 ha. farm, Musa now farms over 40 ha. with his own washing station and drying beds. His coffees are selectively picked and processed with impeccable care, before drying on raised beds. His goals are to continuously improve his coffee quality, and to keep building washing stations and drying beds on his farm.