Ethiopian Coffee Beans | Ethiopian Coffee Growing Regions | Gesha Village Illubabor

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Ethiopia Gesha Village Coffee Estate Illubabor Wash Lot #13

Region Information

Region: SNNPR Region, Bench Maji Zone, Gori Gesha Forest

Estate: Gesha Village Coffee Estate

Owners: Adam Overton and Rachel Samuel

Altitude: 1,900 – 2,100 meters

The Story Behind Gesha Village

Adam Overton, the estate's owner, is an American who works as a documentary filmmaker. His wife, Rachel Samuel, is Ethiopian and a photographer. In 2007 the couple was commissioned to film a documentary about coffee in Ethiopia. As the shoot progressed and their bond with the land and its people deepened, the dream of founding their own estate began to take root.

Everything changed course after they met Willem Boot. Even the choice of the estate's location, its varieties, and its processing methods all trace back to him.

Discovery of Wild Gesha

Willem Boot and Adam discovered wild Gesha trees in a primary forest not far from the estate—trees strikingly similar to Panamanian Gesha in form, from the shape of the cherries to the growth pattern of the branches. The growing environment was deeply shaded, with thousands of coffee shrubs growing in clusters and the trees in profuse bloom. The air carried an overwhelmingly strong jasmine fragrance. Willem Boot recalled feeling as if he were "in paradise" in that moment.

First Harvest Success

In 2015, Gesha Village had its first harvest. With nervous anticipation, the couple brought the first batch of processed green beans to Willem Boot for cupping. The result: the best cup Willem Boot had tasted all year.

The Return of Gesha

In 1931, a Gesha plant was carried out of Ethiopia and went on to flourish and win fame on foreign soil. Eighty-five years later, a documentary filmmaker with a dream rediscovered Gesha's homeland. The world can now come to know Gesha returned to Ethiopia.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Ethiopia is coffee's birthplace, and it also has an estate famous for the Gesha variety: Gesha Village, which—like Panama—runs a strict grading system. The estate grows three Gesha varieties: Gori Gesha, Gesha 1931, and Illubabor Forest, and grades its lots into Gold RARITIES, Red GROWERS RESERVE, Green SINGLE-TERROIR, and Chaka. FrontStreet's Geisha Village Gold label comes from the Gesha 1931 variety, accounts for just 10% of the estate's total output, and is the top coffee the estate produces outside auction lots—frequently chosen by competing baristas on the international stage. This lot is meticulously natural processed, revealing complex, layered flavors whose distinctive dry fragrance, sip, and lingering finish leave a lasting impression. The Red label, from the Gori Gesha variety, makes up 15% of production and scores 88 or above on the SCA 100-point scale; as a single-terroir release, every batch number carries full traceability, including the farm block name, the variety, and the processing date.