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Introduction to Ethiopia Sidamo Region, 74158, and Santa Vini Coffee Beans

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Ethiopia is Africa's largest Arabica producer, with a long coffee history and is recognized as the birthplace of coffee. The country boasts numerous coffee varieties, with estimates suggesting Ethiopia now has between 10,000 to 15,000 coffee varieties, most of which have not yet undergone formal genetic identification.

Ethiopia is the largest Arabica coffee-producing country in Africa, with a long coffee history, and Ethiopia is also recognized as the birthplace of coffee. Coffee varieties are numerous, with estimates suggesting that Ethiopia now has between 10,000 to 15,000 coffee varieties, most of which have not yet undergone formal genetic identification. Within Ethiopia, there are several renowned coffee-producing regions, such as Sidamo, Guji, Yirgacheffe, Jima, Harrar, and others.

Sidamo Coffee Region

The Sidamo coffee region is located in southern Ethiopia, bordering Kenya. After 1995, Ethiopia adopted a federal system of governance, while also respecting the cultures of various ethnic groups within the country, the local government reorganized according to the main residential areas and languages of ethnic groups. In this way, Sidama was incorporated into the new Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Regional State, and the area was officially renamed to its historical name: Sidama. However, at that time, to strengthen the promotion of the uniqueness of coffee within the country, the Ethiopian government applied for patents for three regional names in 2004, choosing the old name Sidamo® as the registered name for Sidama coffee. Until now, domestic consumers have always been accustomed to calling coffee from this region "Sidamo."

The Sidamo coffee region has various types of soil and microclimates, creating distinct characteristics and qualities in the coffee produced there. Within this region, there are diverse topographies including mountains, plateaus, valleys, and plains. The local geology is rich in nutrients, possessing well-drained volcanic soil that provides an ideal growing environment for coffee. Moreover, the Sidamo region is home to many well-known processing stations, such as the Shantawene Processing Station and the Guji Processing Station.

Shantawene Processing Station and Processing Methods

The Shantawene Processing Station is about a 40-minute journey from the town of Shantawene. DWD Company owns 17 processing stations in the Sidamo region, and the Shantawene Processing Station is one of the high-altitude processing stations among them. Compared to the Guji Processing Station, also owned by DWD Company, Shantawene has a drier climate with lower average temperatures. Even when using the same processing methods, the specific control of details differs. For example, for the same fermentation process, Shantawene requires a longer time.

Currently, the FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Shantawene coffee beans that FrontStreet Coffee has acquired use a 96-hour anaerobic natural process. After harvesting, the coffee cherries are sorted and selected. The selected coffee cherries are placed in fermentation tanks, injected with carbon dioxide, and undergo 96 hours of anaerobic fermentation. After fermentation is complete, they are removed and placed on raised beds for drying, with regular turning, drying for about 20-24 days until the moisture content is reduced to 12%.

Digital Coffee Varieties

Currently, Ethiopian coffee varieties are divided into two types: JARC varieties and regional varieties. Regional varieties refer to Ethiopian forest wild-grown coffee varieties native to regional areas. Because there are too many Ethiopian coffee bean varieties and they are difficult to distinguish, they are generally collectively called "Heirloom." Heirloom is translated into Chinese as native varieties or heirloom.

JARC varieties, on the other hand, are varieties developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC), one of Ethiopia's Federal Agricultural Research Centers. Between 1973 and 1975, the research center collected coffee beans from 15 regions, identifying and conducting cultivation experiments on a total of 639 different coffee varieties. Among these samples, a total of 13 beans showed excellent performance, possessing characteristics such as disease resistance, high yield, and drought tolerance, with good flavor expression. Therefore, JARC categorized these beans as "1974/1975 CBD-Rexistent Selections," which is the digital numbering series. Common ones include 74110 and 74158, where the first two digits 74/75 refer to the year of discovery, and the numbers following 74/75 are the variety codes. The FrontStreet Coffee Sidamo Shantawene coffee beans acquired by FrontStreet Coffee are the digital variety 74158.

FrontStreet Coffee · Ethiopia Shantawene Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee has acquired this Ethiopia Sidamo Shantawene coffee bean, which uses a 96-hour anaerobic natural process. When brewed using V60 with a 1:15 ratio, you will detect a slight fermented wine aroma, with soft citrus acidity upon entry, along with tropical fruit flavors like pineapple. The mouthfeel is rich and full-bodied, with a red wine-like aftertaste.