This coffee is a unique single farm lot from the producer Amarech Ararso and her family. Amarech is a participant of the “Ama” (meaning “mother”) Commitment Project, established in 2023 by the Ethiopian coffee exporter Ephtah Coffee, with the objective of supporting and empowering female coffee producers in Idido. Her meticulous harvesting and processing regimen results in a cup with boozy berry and cherry notes and a creamy body.
Amarech’s farm - spanning 2 hectares and sitting at 2050 MASL - is located in Hada, Yirgacheffe. She also owns her own processing station on the farm. She is an essential member of the Ama Project - a number of local farmers deliver their cherries to her farm, where she processes them.
As part of the Ama Project, Ephtah Coffee contributed 250,000ETB to build new drying beds this year. It also provided Amarech with prefunding of 8 million ETB, so that she could distribute funds to the farmers immediately upon their delivery of coffee cherries.
Ephtah has also implemented the "Ama Commitment Income Diversification Scheme", which aims to enhance the financial well-being of the project participants by offering training, financial assistance and necessary equipment. Plans are underway to open a shop in Addis Ababa where women can sell their handicrafts. Additionally, the farmers associated with the project cultivate native banana trees (called “enset”) to produce Kocho, a local food product. These efforts are aimed at improving the livelihoods of women farmers, promoting gender equity in the agricultural industry and contributing to the local economy.
Throughout the harvest season, Amarech employs 40 seasonal workers in addition to her 5 permanent employees, to handpick meticulously the cherries on her farm, which are cultivated under the shade of native banana trees (known in Ethiopia as “enset”). While she has not obtained official organic certification (due to the costs in doing so), Amarech maintains a commitment to organic agricultural practices.
Following harvest, the coffee cherries undergo a specific processing regimen. The cherries are fermented in plastic barrels for 7 days, then dried for 15-20 days. Post-drying, the coffee is stored in an on-site warehouse before being transported to a dry mill in the capital, Addis Ababa. From there, the coffee is transported via train to Djibouti, where it is exported.
We purchased this coffee from Falcon. The coffee was harvested between November and January 2024 and landed in the UK in June 2024. We understand from Falcon that the farmers received 60% of their total payment immediately upon delivering their coffee cherries to Amarech. The remaining portion was paid to the farmers once Ephtah markets the coffee and makes payment to Amarech.
For further details on the prices below visit our Transparency Page.
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