Ethiopia Lalesa Natural

This is a new coffee from an old friend. Micah (one of our co-founders) and Wubit used to share an office 10 years ago. Now Wubit runs an amazing export operation in Ethiopia called Ephtah Specialty Coffee, where she focuses on community welfare, sustainability, and promoting women within the coffee industry. We were delighted to reconnect and feature this extra delicious Ephtah lot!

This coffee is sweet and fruity with notes of peach and blueberry, but it has a gorgeous creamy complexity too, like you might find in a premium Darjeeling tea. If you're a fan of classic Ethiopian 'blueberry naturals' you'll love this one.

We bought this coffee through Falcon, a specialty importer we love working with. Here's a bit more about Ephtah Specialty Coffee from them:

Ephtah Specialty Coffee is dedicated to building sustainable and collaborative supply chains that benefit customers, farmers, and their communities. The company emphasizes the role of women in the coffee industry, recognizing their pivotal role in driving social and economic change in Ethiopia. Ephtah ensures quality at every stage of the shipment process, focusing on providing the highest quality green coffee beans and maintaining satisfaction among all stakeholders in the supply chain.

The Lalesa washing station is located in Gedeb, a region with a population of over 300,000 people. The coffee is naturally grown under shade trees, primarily Enset. The best cherries are brought from nearby farmers. Coffee is initially floated to remove quakers, then placed on drying beds for 12-15 days. Green beans are handpicked by local women. Once processed and dried, the coffee is stored at Moplaco in Gerji, Addis Ababa. From there, it is transported to Djibouti via train for export.

Ephtah Specialty Coffee is dedicated to social and environmental projects. The company provides initial payments to farmers upon receipt of their coffee and supports them with quality premiums, second payments, and assistance with school fees. Future investment plans include expanding the Ama Commitment scheme, building a water tank for flotation, increasing the number of drying beds, and cultivating additional crops on the land to support local markets.

Elevation: 2150-2200 MASL

Varietal: 74110, 74112, Heirloom

Cup Score: 87.5

Price paid per kilo: £12.40

Process: Natural