Guji Habtamu Fekadu Aga (Ethiopia)

Fast facts

Tasting notes: Cherry, nectarine, black tea, lime zest, juicy and complex

VARIETY: Regional landraces and heirloom cultivars

PROCESS: Washed

FARMER: Aaga Dinsa

FARM: Habtamu Fekadu Aga

REGION: Uraga, Guji, Oromia

MUNICIPALITY:  

ALTITUDE:  2200-2300 masl

This vibrant Ethiopian coffee comes from Habtamu Fekadu Aga, founded by Aaga Dinsa on his family's land. Meticulously washed and sun-dried, it delivers a juicy cup bursting with floral notes, sweet cherry, ripe nectarine, and a crisp lime zest brightness. Plus, part of every purchase supports their Fair for Life community fund, improving local schools and clinics.

The Habtamu Fekadu Story:

Founded in 2015 by Aaga Dinsa on his inherited family farm, Habtamu Fekadu Aga (Kuri Mountain Coffee) operates a 105-hectare core farm and sources cherries from 144 outgrowers across 837 hectares in Wolega, Guji, and Jimma. Certified organic and Fair for Life, the company contributes $0.12 per exported pound plus 5% of profits to a community development fund. After transitioning from the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange to direct export post-2017, they process cherries using pulping, 48-72 hour fermentation, manual washing, and careful sun-drying on raised beds for 8-12 days. This meticulous process, handling 200 tonnes of cherries into 36 tonnes of parchment in the described year, aims to produce the classic clean, floral, and citrusy Yirgacheffe coffee.

HISTORY (from the producer): 

Habtamu Fekadu Aga, also known as ‘Kuri Mountain Coffee’ was established in 2015 by Aaga Dinsa. Aaga inherited his grandfather’s farm, which remains the core of the company’s export operations.The farm covers 105 hectares in Kuri Kebele, with a total of 837 hectares, including the farms of 144 registered outgrowers who supply cherries to the company’s washing stations in Wolega, Guji, and Jimma.

The company is certified organic and holds Fair for Life certification. As part of its commitment to Fair for Life, Habtamu Fekadu contributes $0.12 per pound of coffee exported, along with 5% of the company’s profits, to a community development fund.

This fund is used to improve local infrastructure, providing food, clothing, education, roads, and healthcare facilities and equipment. Before Ethiopia’s export system was liberalized in 2017, the company sold its coffee through the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX), but it now exports directly.

You can expect heaps of clean, juicy, floral and citrus-like notes, typical for the Uraga region.

PROCESS DESCRIPTION (from the producer): 

The site can have the capacity of producing more than 900 tones of red cherries. But this year about 200 tones of red cherries were being received and get 36 tones of parchment coffees.

The collection of red cherries was made from registered outgrower farmers at the site and dumped to the silo according to their lot (the kebele where the coffee was collected) and Agard pulping machine which undertakes the pulping process removes floaters efficiently after pulping and passes Q1 and Q2 parchment coffee separately to fermentation tanks ready for them and floaters to their floater tank. Fermentation tanks are always cleaned well before being fed to them. We kept the parchment coffee for 48-72hrs in fermentation tank depending on the weather condition to complete the fermentation before get washed. After the fermentation process is completed the mucilage is removed by washing manually on soaking tanks. The parchment will stay for 48hrs on bed under shed for skin drying and sorting of some defected coffee by hand-picking. Depending on the strength of the sun the coffee shall be on african bed for maximum of 8–12 days, during this; moving coffee on bed is taking place at least five times a day and covered by plastic during sun is over head (11:00 A.M- 3:00 PM). After checking the moisture content of the parchment ranges (10%-11%) we, stored the coffee in well ventilated store until it get transported to Addis Ababa for final process.