Coffee
cultivation starts with small seedlings: depending on their needs, an Ethiopian
farming family receives five to ten coffee seedlings and natural fertilizer at
low cost so they can continuously grow new plants. Only after three to five
years can the first coffee cherries be harvested from these young trees. The
small farms in Ethiopia operate independently of one another, but working
together in cooperatives makes their everyday lives significantly easier.
COFFEE
CULTIVATION IS A YEAR-ROUND JOB
The coffee blossom
in Ethiopia begins at the end of February, and ongoing care of the trees yields
the first fruits no earlier than June. The red coffee cherry ripens roughly
from October through December. Only fully ripe cherries are picked by hand, weighed,
and taken to the cooperatives on the very same day – on foot, by donkey, or
using any other available means of transport. Each farmer is paid directly on
site.
QUALITY
CONTROL: MULTI-STAGE AND INDEPENDENT
The independent evaluation of coffee quality is carried out by the ECX, the
Ethiopian Commodity Exchange. It awards certificates on a scale from the top
grade 1 down to grade 9. The Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union works
together with the farming families on quality assurance. The goal is to
consistently achieve grades from 1 to 4 – and thus secure the best possible
price. If you’d like to learn more about the role Ethiopia plays within the
broader context of African coffee production, take a look at our article “Coffee from Africa – Origin, Diversity and Flavor.”
PACKAGING,
TRANSPORT, EXPORT
After the coffee
has been sold, the beans are transported from local warehouses in the interior
of the country to central warehouses and finally to the last processing
facility. There, they are packed into 60 kg jute sacks suitable for global
shipping. It is the responsibility of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative
Union to ensure that the green coffee reaches the port of Djibouti and is
handed over on time to the freight forwarder designated by the buyer. In most
cases, the roasting takes place in the importing country.
Coffee from Ethiopia – Origin, Flavors, and Cultural Significance
Discover the origins of coffee in Ethiopia.
Learn about its history, flavors, growing regions, and the importance of
sustainability in Ethiopian coffee
Capsule machine or fully automatic machine – 5 reasons why many people choose capsules
Are you looking for the perfect coffee machine for your everyday life? We'll show you the most important differences, advantages, and what really matters when comparing them.
deepdesign®
For the design of our Afro Coffee Kahawa capsule machine, we collaborated with the renowned Milan-based studio deepdesign®. With their long-standing expertise in consumer electronics, deepdesign® translated our brand values into a timeless and user-friendly form.
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