Ethiopia - Guji Shakiso

About this coffee
Daanisa farmers group is a group of 44 farmers who deliver their cherry to Dambi Uddo washing station. The name comes from the local name for an umbrella-shaped native tree. The daanisa tree has medicinal properties and is used for a wide range of construction purposes. Perhaps most importantly, it is used to shade the region’s coffee trees.  

Dambi Uddo Agro Industry founded Dambi Uddo washing station in 2019. Located in Sukkee Qutto in Guji, the high altitudes that often reach above 2,000 meters above sea level provide ideal conditions for cultivating high-quality coffees. This lot is the product of 44 farmers that Dambi Uddo identified who are producing superb coffees and delivering them to the station. Their cherry is processed separately to maintain traceability.  

Harvest & Post-Harvest
Farmers selectively handpick cherry and deliver it to the washing station or to local collection points. At the washing station, coffee is sorted to ensure that only the ripest cherries are processed. The collection agent oversees the quality of cherry before processing.  

Natural coffees, such as this one, are floated in water first to remove any underweight or damaged beans and any debris. After cleaning, cherry is carried straight to raised beds, where it is spread into a single layer for drying. Cherry is raked regularly and visually handsorted to remove any damaged cherry that may have made it through the initial sorting.  

After a few days, washing station staff will increase the thickness of the layer to slow the drying and stabilize humidity. Total drying time can take up to three weeks under cloudy conditions, or two weeks should the weather be sunny. 

About Guji
Guji coffee has only recently been distinguished from neighboring Sidamo and Yirgacheffe. However, due to their incredible quality and unique profiles, they are quickly gaining international recognition.

The Guji region receives ample rainfall and is marked by steep mountainous terrain: perfect conditions to support the vast array of coffee grown here.

Coffee In Ethiopia
While Ethiopia is famous as coffee’s birthplace, today it remains a specialty coffee industry darling for its incredible variety of flavors. While full traceability has been difficult in recent history, new regulations have made direct purchasing possible. We’re partnering directly with farmers to help them produce top quality specialty lots that are now completely traceable, adding value for farmers and roasters, alike.

The exceptional quality of Ethiopian coffee is due to a combination of factors. The genetic diversity of coffee varieties means that we find a diversity of flavor, even between (or within) farms with similar growing conditions and processing. In addition to varieties, processing methods also contribute to end quality. The final key ingredients for excellent coffee in Ethiopia are the producing traditions that have created the genetic diversity, processing infrastructure and great coffee we enjoy today.

Most producers in Ethiopia are smallholders, and the majority continue to cultivate coffee using traditional methods. As a result, most coffee is grown with no chemical fertilizer or pesticide use. Coffee is almost entirely cultivated, harvested and dried using manual systems.