Ethiopian Coffee Farm | Introduction to Layo Taraga Cooperative in GUJI Region

Ethiopian Coffee Excellence: The Layo Taraga Cooperative Story

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Ethiopian coffee is everything. They can be delicate, floral, and tea-like. They are filled with bright, soft acidity and hints of fruit. This incredible diversity of flavors and characteristics can be traced back to each different micro-region and how each coffee is processed after picking. Coffee thrives in the lush environment provided by Ethiopia's forests. After all, this is where coffee was "born."

Until recently, coffee grown by smallholders and cooperatives in Ethiopia had to be sold through the ECX, where batches were classified by general region and quality (grades 1-5). In March 2017, Ethiopia's prime minister approved a reform allowing cooperatively owned washing stations to export coffee directly. This enables the separation of premium coffee, improves prices for farmers, and enhances recognition for Ethiopia's finest coffees. This enhanced traceability allows us to purchase directly from the same washing stations year after year and opens the potential for establishing partnerships with individual farmers or small groups within the community.

Layo Taraga Cooperative: Location and Growing Conditions

The Layo Taraga Cooperative is located in the Uraga district of Oromia, Guji region, situated in one of Ethiopia's most important coffee-growing areas. This cooperative has approximately 500 members who grow shade-grown garden coffee on plots of about 1 hectare each. The region's altitude reaches approximately 2200 meters above sea level, making it one of the highest coffee-growing areas in the country. It also benefits from fertile clay soil and annual rainfall of about 1500-2000 millimeters.

Cooperative Structure and Processing

Layo Taraga is a member of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU), established in 1999. As one of Ethiopia's largest coffee unions, OCFCU serves as an umbrella organization for 240 cooperatives representing approximately 250,000 coffee farmers as of 2014. As one of the union's valuable cooperatives, Layo Teraga has received improvement funding in recent years, including new McKinnon disk pulpers, tiled fermentation tanks, and storage sheds at the washing station.

During the harvest season, farmers deliver freshly picked cherries to the washing station, where they are sorted to remove underripe, overripe, and defective cherries before processing. The coffee is then fermented underwater for 8-12 hours, during which remaining mucilage is broken down by bacteria. Afterward, the coffee is washed in channels, soaked, and then placed on raised beds to dry for 10-14 days until reaching 11% moisture content.

Coffee Details

Location: Haro Wachu / Uraga / Guji

Variety: Bourbon

Process: Washed

Altitude: 1950-2000 meters

Tasting Notes: Peach, persimmon, floral

Brewing Recommendation: FrontStreet Coffee suggests brewing with water at 90-92°C to bring out lovely floral notes, along with apricot and tropical fruit flavors.

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