Abba Olly Ethiopia Farmer & Coffee Intro

Sweet Jasmine & Honeysuckle - the flavors of this specialty coffee from Ethiopia alone sound like a poem. It is grown by a man nicknamed " Abba Olly - The one who uplifts" because he fights with passion and integrity for improved living conditions and direct export of coffee.

THE FARMER

The regular name of "Abba Olly" is Giday Berhe. He started his coffee career in 1993 as a coffee trader in Jimma. But he dreamed of producing high quality coffee himself, so a few years later he opened his own station to prepare regional coffee for export. At the turn of the millennium, he took the next step and bought a coffee plantation in the village of Galeh in the Jimma region. He named it "Limu Kossa".
From the beginning, he also made sure to work closely with small producers in the neighborhood, teaching them cultivation techniques that constantly improved the quality of the coffee beans while being ecologically sustainable. He also invests his profits in education and medical care for the community.

THE FARM

Today, Limu Kossa is a professionally set up coffee plantation that is 100% certified organic. The farm is located at over 1840m in the highlands of Ethiopia's Jimma Zone. It is known far beyond the borders of Jimma, so that "Abba Olly" does not have to actively search for his employees. They come from far - not only because of the above-average wages, but also because of the good working conditions and accommodations on the farm. One particularly exciting aspect is that the company's own coffee tasting station (a so-called "cupping lab") is currently under construction. Here, teenagers are specially supported by receiving so-called "Q-grading training". This is the world's most renowned coffee sensory training. (Read more here: what is a q-grader?)

THE COUNTRY

Ethiopia is the country of origin of coffee. It offers such fantastic growing conditions that even with mistakes in cultivation and quality control, premium coffees can be produced. On the one hand, this is a blessing; on the other hand, it has led to a certain nonchalance in cultivation. The challenge, therefore, is to make plantation owners aware of the benefits of consistent processes and prudent farming practices so that even in years with greater challenges (such as drought), solid earnings can still be produced. A second challenge is operations: typically, export routes for Ethiopian coffee are multi-layered and complicated, so most of the earnings gets stuck with middlemen rather than reaching the plantations themselves. The close cooperation with importers and the direct relationship with the farmers enables us to transparently show that the earnings of our "Abba Olly" coffee really reaches the producer.

ALL THE WAY TO YOU

  1. Farm
    Limu Kossa family owned (=the property of "Abba Ollie")
  2. Drying & Sorting
    Limu Kossa family owned (=the property of "Abba Ollie")
  3. Dry Milling (quality selection) & Export
    Limu Kossa family property (=the property of "Abba Ollie")
  4. Transport
    Mediterranean Shipping Company
  5. Import
    TSU-trade
  6. Roasting
    farmersvaluefirst in cooperation with selected craft roasters in Holland & Germany (craft roast)
  7. Distribution
    farmersvaluefirst

 

    Quote from Abba Olly from the Galeh region in Ethiopia:
    »By exporting directly, our profit does not disappear into some dark channels, but comes back directly to the plantation. Here, we use it to train our employees and ensure continuous quality improvement.«

     

    OVERVIEW

    • Taste: Balanced with delicate flavors of Sweet Jasmine & Honeysuckle.
    • Variety: 100% Arabica (74165, 75227, 74140, 74110, 74112 and 5227).
    • Origin: Galeh, Jimma, Ethiopia
    • Growing altitude: 1840-2130 meters above sea level
    • Production: The coffee beans are picked by hand and immediately handed over to an initial inspection. At the beginning to the middle of the season, the coffee beans are processed "fully washed", but later in the year, when there is no more rain, the coffee plantation switches to "natural" processing. "fully washed" After separating the pulp from the coffee bean, the coffee beans ferment for about 12 hours before being washed, dried and processed. "naturals" The natural beans, on the other hand, are freed from the outer shell after the direct drying process. After picking, they are laid out side by side in large areas and turned every hour, especially during the first few days, to allow for uniform drying. Depending on the weather, they remain in the sun for about 2 weeks. Its an extensive and time-consuming process, but allows the coffee bean to develop more complex flavors in a natural way through fermentation in its own shell.
    • Price that the cooperative receives from us: On average, 100% more than the world market price. The cooperative uses the additional margin for example to provide health care and educational opportunities for its employees.
    • SCA Rating: With 88 points (out of a possible 100), the "naturals" coffee from "Abba Olly" received an outstanding rating after the last harvest, making it one of the world's top coffees. However, the "fully washed" variant also achieved a proud 85.75 points in the last harvest. Depending on availability, we offer one or the other variant in our online store. You will always find the information in the current description or on the product label.
    • The SCA has developed an evaluation system in which the quality of green coffee is evaluated physically and sensory. This is done in so-called "cuppings." If a coffee achieves a rating of over 80 points, it is considered a "specialty coffee" - and the producer can be proud of that! The other levels are:
      • 80 - 84.99 points: very good
      • 85 - 89.99 points: excellent "Abba Olly
      • 90 - 100 points: outstanding (less than 1% of the coffees harvested worldwide receive this rank!) Read more here: SCA standards

     

    The close relationship with this farm and coffee importers, who share the same values with us, not only allows us to share a lot of knowledge about coffee growing, but also obliges us to point out that behind your cup of coffee there are people with exciting stories, challenges and ambitious goals. Only hard work and determination can make this possible.

    Our "Abba Olly" specialty coffee from Ethiopia in our Onlineshop!

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