Ethiopia - Koshary
Farm: Natural Koshary Depot
Type : Heirloom (Arabica)
Treatment: Natural
Altitude: 1850 - 2000 meters above sea level
Owner: Many small farm owners
City: Debo, Gedeo Zone
Area: Koshary, Yirqshef
Country : Ethiopia
Total farm size : under 1 hectare
This exceptional product was processed, dried, and exported by Testi Coffee, a family business run by the Yunus family, who are making a name for themselves in Ethiopia's specialty coffee market. For many years, Faisal Yunus was the first person to be seriously involved in coffee cultivation. Faisal started in 1990, but initially only supplied the local market. With the growing interest in specialty coffee in Ethiopia, Faisal saw an opportunity to expand, so he established Testi Coffee in 2009 as a coffee exporting company. Faisal surrounded himself with many coffee professionals and hired his nephew, Adham, who grew up and studied in the United States, to help with marketing.
Today, Testi coffee owns or operates 4 washing centers in Guji, Yirgeshef, Sidamo and Lemo, which are among the most important coffee-growing regions in Ethiopia.
The name "Depo" might be familiar; it's the name of the processing plant where this coffee was processed. Established in 2000, the plant is operated in partnership with Masreshu Sima. Testi oversees all quality standards and manages the plant both during and after the season. Coffee beans are brought to the plant by 750 to 800 small farms, serving various collection points. The plant produces up to 5 containers per year.
The station is located in the Gedeo region. The region is bordered by the Goji region to the east, Purina to the south and west, and Sidamo to the north.
Yirkeshef is part of the Sidamo region in southern Ethiopia, but the area's fame for its washed coffee has led to its subdivision into smaller regions. This green, high-altitude area is fertile land, with most coffee grown at altitudes of 2,000 meters or higher. From the outside, it appears to be a forest, but it is actually populated, with numerous villages nestled within these wooded areas. Approximately 26 organizations operate in the region, representing 43,794 farmers cultivating 62,004 hectares of land. Most of the coffee is processed by washing, but some is sun-dried.
