Coffee culture

Ethiopian Coffee · Premium Growing Regions Introduction - Yirgacheffe 01

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Yirgacheffe (Yirgacheffe) Premium Growing Region Elevation 1800-2000 meters Garden Coffee System Yirgacheffe is one of Ethiopia's three official growing regions, situated just east of the Great Rift Valley with complex fragmented terrain, bordering Lake Abaya to the west, has been a wetland since ancient times, rich in water resources, with abundant birds and fragrant flowers. Yirgacheffe means: Let us settle in this wetland
Ethiopian coffee landscape

Ethiopian Coffee · Premium Growing Regions Introduction — Yirgacheffe

Altitude: 1800-2000 meters

Garden coffee system

Yirgacheffe is one of Ethiopia's three official growing regions, situated precisely to the east of the East African Rift Valley. The terrain is complex and fragmented, bordering Lake Abaya to the west. Since ancient times, it has been a wetland area with abundant water resources, flourishing birdsong, and fragrant flowers. The name Yirgacheffe means: "Let us settle and make a living in this wetland~"

Yirgacheffe is subordinate to the Sidamo region but was independently established due to its distinctive flavor profile. In addition to the town of Yirgacheffe itself, it also includes three sub-regions: Wenago, Kochere, and Gelena/Abaya.

In November 2009, Ethiopia implemented a new trading and grading system that classifies washed and sun-dried premium Yirgacheffe coffees into Group A [with Yirgacheffe flavor] and Group B [without Yirgacheffe flavor], with each group including the three aforementioned regions. Therefore, in the new Yirgacheffe grading system, Yirgacheffe A, Wenago A, Kochere A, and Gelena/Abaya A are more expensive than their Group B counterparts. Besides washed and sun-dried processing methods, semi-washed Yirgacheffe has recently been introduced and is worth trying.

Coffee farmers in Ethiopia

(Image credit: National Geographic China | Photography: AMI VITALE, PANOS)

We commonly encounter numerous Yirgacheffe coffees—to put it dramatically: Ethiopian coffee can be divided into ten parts, with Yirgacheffe accounting for eight. You might wonder, what are Konga, Biloya, Aricha, and other names within the Yirgacheffe region? This brings us to the YCFCU (Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union). The YCFCU comprises 26 cooperatives, and the Yirgacheffe coffees we frequently drink can often be traced back to one of these 26 cooperatives.

A cooperative roughly represents a collective of small farmers from a single village, with the cooperative's name nearly identical to the village's name. Some villages lack cooperatives, or some small farmers may sell coffee under their own names rather than joining cooperatives. Additionally, there are several renowned processing stations in the Yirgacheffe region, including the Aricha and Chelba processing stations.

Yirgacheffe is quite a famous growing region, and sometimes when we encounter a producer from the Yirgacheffe region, it's relatively convenient to search online to determine whether this producer is a cooperative, a small farmer, or a processing station.

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The above information has been compiled by FrontStreet Coffee.

We hope this article helps everyone gain a deeper understanding of coffee.

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