What we're tasting:
Malbec, Dried Blackberry, Prune
About the coffee:
Mrs. Gemedech Fulasa was born as the only child to her parents, and she inherited her 4.5 hectare coffee farm when her father passed away in 2011. In the Gedeo culture, land inheritance usually goes to male children. However, being the only child, she took the opportunity to inherit the land and shine as one of the very few female coffee farmers and she’s quickly become one of the highest quality growers in Yirgacheffe.
We sourced this coffee through Crop to Cup, and in this particular instance, the producer receives 88% of the FOB export price, resulting in substantially increased income compared to a normal washing station model. This type of support and purchasing is at the center of our belief in the direct trade model. It’s still relatively rare in Ethiopia, but it’s becoming more common with the growth of specialty coffee.
Another reason we’re excited to have this coffee is the manner in which Mrs. Gemedech grows her coffee and takes care of her land. Her land is a garden farm where coffee is grown under shade from other trees that contain fruits and food staples in a regenerative fashion. Fallen leaves and coffee pulp hauled from the local mills are the main source of compost. Enset trees (false banana) across the farm collect water from the rainy season in their trunks and release it to the ground during dry season. This helps soil maintain moisture all year round. She uses no inorganic fertilizer or pesticides and due to her natural process coffee, her environmental waste and impact are minimal.
And with all of that, perhaps what we’re most excited about with this coffee is the flavor. It’s juicy and complex, with notes of malbec and dried blackberries which fade into prune and other dark fruits.
Varietals: Wolisho, Dega, Kurume
Process: Natural
Producer: Mrs. Gemedech Fulasa
Notes: Malbec, Dried Blackberry, Prune