This super sweet and juicy coffee is sunshine in a cup! It comes from the Rumudamo processing station, located in the Sidama region in southern Ethiopia. It’s the first Ethiopian coffee we’ve offered and what a way to kick things off - shining with bright pineapple acidity and strawberry, followed by lingering jasmine and rose notes as it cools.
Rumudamo is the name of both the processing station and the village where it is located. Smallholder coffee farms sit on the surrounding steep slopes, as high as 2,200 M.A.S.L, with almost 600 farmers delivering their cherries to the Rumudamo station during harvest.
The Rumudamo centre earned international acclaim for producing amazing coffees after placing second and third at Ethiopia’s inaugural Cup of Excellence competition in 2020. It is run by the speciality coffee production and exporting company, Daye Bensa. Daye Bensa has undertaken several community projects in the region to ensure that the farmers can support their families from selling their coffee. Most recently, this has included constructing several preschools, as well as running a coffee processing class, with the aim of sharing critical knowledge and skills to the children of coffee farmers. It is hoped that these initiatives will increase the pool of skilled labour in the region and enhance individuals’ employment opportunities within the coffee industry.
Ethiopia is widely recognised as the birthplace of coffee, and genetic studies reveal that innumerable varieties grow there. Given the way that coffee is produced in Ethiopia, it is very difficult to obtain any single variety lots. For this reason, the term “heirloom” is often used as a catch all phrase to describe a combination of Ethiopian coffees whose varieties cannot be easily ascertained.
This coffee was hand-picked according to strict ripeness criteria, then floated to remove defects. It is sun dried (as whole cherries) on raised beds for at least three weeks (weather-dependent).
We sourced this coffee through Atrie Weno, Daye Bensa’s former deputy general manager. Atrie’s nephew, Kenean, is now the Head of Coffee at Daye Bensa, while Atrie has established his own importing company in the UK (“Coffee Legends”), with the aim of creating stronger connections between roasters and Ethiopian coffee producers. We look forward to continuing our work together and deepening our knowledge and work in Sidama.
The coffee was harvested between December and February and arrived in the UK in June 2024. Daye Bensa makes two payments to the farmers - the first when the coffee is harvested and the second in July/August, based on the quality of the coffee. The second payment is made before the start of the school year, so that families have the funds they need to prepare their children for school.
For further details on the prices below visit our Transparency Page.
If you're not sure which coffee is for you, or you want to try them all, then our discovery pack is just what you need.
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