Farm info

The Deri Kidame washing station, established in 2019, is named after the kebele where it’s located in the Wamena district of Ethiopia’s Guji Zone. This region, known for its fertile red-brown soil and diverse vegetation including Cordia Africana and Acacia Ensete ventricosum trees, is a haven for coffee cultivation. Owned by Tracon Trading, the washing station spans 2 hectares and has an annual processing capacity of 5 containers. Each harvest season, around 2,000 small-scale farmers from nearby kebeles—Bulye, Wamena, Deri Kpjowa, and Dhabaye—bring their carefully selected cherries to the station. Here, the coffee undergoes meticulous processing on 200 raised drying beds, ensuring the highest quality in every batch. 

Guji, part of the Oromia Region in southern Ethiopia, is a zone rich in cultural diversity, where the Oromo language is predominantly spoken. The Guji Zone, like many of Ethiopia’s coffee-growing regions, is a mosaic of cultures, each woreda contributing to the rich tapestry of Ethiopian coffee heritage. As demand for Ethiopian coffee continues to grow, more washing stations like Deri Kidame are being built to enhance processing techniques and unlock the full potential of the region’s coffee. 

The Guji Zone is geographically significant, bordered to the west by the southern Gedeb woreda of the Gedeo Zone and to the east by the Ganale Dorya River, which separates it from the Bale Zone. This river is the zone’s principal freshwater source, vital for both the people and the coffee farms in the area. 

The coffee processing at Deri Kidame is a meticulous process. Only the red, ripe cherries are selected and placed in GrainPro bags, where they undergo an extended fermentation process. The cherries are packed under vacuum, with a one-way valve that allows oxygen to escape, promoting a longer fermentation phase. This process lasts for 10 days at a cool temperature of 23-24°C until the pH level drops to 3. Once fermentation is complete, the cherries are removed from the bags and transferred to raised beds for drying—first under shade for two days, then under full sunlight for an additional 2-3 weeks until they reach the ideal moisture content. 

As the coffee industry continues to grow in Ethiopia, the country’s historic growing areas don’t always match up with the current-day maps defining Ethiopia’s geography. Our goal is to provide the clearest and most accurate information about the coffees that we offer, and we’re proud to provide the most specific location information we have for these coffees. Learn more about Ethiopia’s coffee growing regions on our blog.