Farm info

This coffee comes from the community of Taferi Kela in Sidamo, Ethiopia, and is processed by Bette Buna, short for “House of Coffee.” The company’s roots in the village began when Dawit and Hester were entrusted by Dawit’s grandparents, Syoum and Emame, with not only the family farm but also the responsibility of supporting the local community. Although Taferi Kela lies within the same mountain range as better-known Sidama coffee areas, it has long been overlooked, with no other industries present. Bette Buna has worked to change this by creating economic opportunities through coffee, teaching farmers sustainable agricultural practices, promoting agroforestry, and ensuring careful harvesting of ripe cherries to increase both quality and income. Every year, they distribute more than 350,000 climate-adapted seedlings from their in-house nursery, helping to generate significant long-term income for farmers in a region where household earnings are typically less than $50 per month.

Bette Buna is also recognized for its inclusive employment practices, offering jobs to people with disabilities, single mothers, and other underrepresented groups. Their transparent supply chain traces each lot back to the individuals who picked, processed, and milled the coffee, ensuring fair wages and full accountability.

This washed lot from Taferi Kela was harvested by community farmers and processed at Bette Buna’s washing station. Ripe cherries were depulped and fermented for 24–36 hours in concrete basins topped with water, in a low-oxygen but not fully anaerobic environment. The coffee was then washed, with floaters and defects removed, and dried for 8–15 days on raised, covered beds. Once the moisture level stabilized, the coffee rested in parchment for at least eight weeks before dry milling. After hulling, it underwent hand sorting, screening by size and density, and color sorting at Bette Buna’s dry mill in Gelan, near Addis Ababa, before final bagging for export.

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.

Region: Oromia
Zone: Guji
Woreda: Megadu
Kebele: –
ECX Growing Area: Guji