What is the 'Red Cherry Project' in Ethiopian Coffee?

Ethiopia is Africa's largest coffee producer, with a long history of coffee cultivation and is recognized as the birthplace of coffee. It also boasts countless native coffee varieties. According to statistics, Ethiopia now has between 10,000 to 15,000 coffee varieties. Coffee produced in this country is beloved by countless coffee enthusiasts for its fruity flavors and elegant floral notes.

Currently, Ethiopia has several renowned coffee-growing regions, such as Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Kaffa, and Guji. Yirgacheffe is a small town that belongs to the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (which became an independent regional state through a referendum in 2019), and is part of the Sidamo coffee-growing region. However, due to the unique flavors of coffee produced there, it has become an independent coffee-growing region.

What Does "Red Cherry" Mean?

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee offers several coffee beans from the Yirgacheffe region, including one called "Yirgacheffe Red Cherry." What does this "Red Cherry" mean? Is it because the flavor resembles red cherries?

Actually, that's not the case. Here, "Red Cherry" refers to coffee beans produced under a program called "Operation Cherry Red." FrontStreet Coffee understands that this program is primarily aimed at helping coffee farmers improve various aspects of their green bean quality.

As we know, as a special "fruit," coffee cherries themselves look very much like small cherries. Like other varieties, they follow the growth pattern of becoming more fragrant and flavorful as they mature. When the fruit is peeled open, you can smell a faint fruity aroma. Because of this, to achieve a full, rich aroma in a cup of coffee, it's essential to control the quality of harvesting during production, with the primary requirement being to harvest only fully ripe red cherries.

The Origins of Operation Cherry Red

In the past, farmers grew coffee trees in their backyards or fields. During harvest season, they would collect coffee cherries and transport them to green bean traders or processing plants. However, coffee prices were not high at that time, and farmers focused on speed while trying to earn more income, so they didn't care about the appearance or quality of the coffee. They would harvest red, green, and spoiled cherries all together, making profits through volume. The consequence of this approach was that the coffee cherries were of mixed quality, affecting the final quality and flavor.

In 2007, the arrival of Trabocca, the Netherlands' largest coffee bean trader, changed this situation. The company has always been dedicated to finding high-quality raw materials, focusing on environmental protection, and caring for farmers' livelihoods. They believed that the current situation was not conducive to development, so they proposed "Operation Cherry Red."

To this end, the company invites all Ethiopian farms during harvest season to produce batches of coffee beans ranging from 1,500-3,000 kilograms. However, these batches need to meet the requirements of "Operation Cherry Red" - they must be entirely hand-harvested, and 100% of the cherries must be fully ripe red fruits. The company then purchases these coffee beans at prices several times higher than market rates.

This creates a win-win situation for both coffee farmers and green bean traders. Farmers' income increases, while the quality of green coffee beans is guaranteed, and prices rise accordingly. The small batch sizes required by Trabocca also allow processing plants to invest sufficient time and energy into processing these coffee cherries.

However, Trabocca doesn't purchase all small batches of coffee beans, even if they meet the basic requirements of Operation Cherry Red. When Trabocca receives coffee beans, they conduct two rounds of cupping in cupping rooms in both Ethiopia and the Netherlands. Only beans that meet cupping standards are accepted. Additionally, Trabocca invests in processing plants, provides equipment, offers financial loan support, and imparts knowledge to farmers to improve production levels and provide higher-quality coffee beans.

The Impact and Scope of Operation Cherry Red

Currently, Operation Cherry Red includes washed, natural, semi-washed, semi-natural, and experimental coffees. The main regions involved in the program are Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, Bench Maji, Lekempti, and other regions, all of which are areas with very distinctive Ethiopian flavors.

Simply put, Operation Cherry Red encourages coffee farmers to diligently complete every step of coffee berry collection and processing by increasing the purchase price of high-quality green coffee beans. This produces coffee beans with better quality and superior taste, which are recognized by the market and fetch relatively high purchase prices.

FrontStreet Coffee's Red Cherry

The Red Cherry coffee beans that FrontStreet Coffee acquired come from the Yirgacheffe region and have been processed using traditional natural methods. The natural processing method, called "Natural" in English, refers to a processing method that is natural and non-technological. Since humans discovered coffee in Ethiopia in the 6th century AD, the natural method has been the only processing technique for coffee circulated in the Arab world.

Traditional natural processing requires no water at all, and the seed extraction process is simple: first, dry the entire coffee fruit completely, then use a machine to crush and remove the husk to obtain the inner bean. It can be completed wherever there is sun. However, the disadvantages of natural coffee are also significant - it has an extreme dependence on weather and requires up to a month of drying time. If there's wind or rain during this month, all previous efforts may be wasted. Therefore, this ancient processing method is often concentrated in tropical countries with distinct dry and wet seasons, with Ethiopia being one of the most famous examples.

For refined natural processing, coffee farmers responsible for post-harvest processing need to diligently turn the fruits on the drying beds for the first three days. At this stage, the coffee cherries have high moisture content, and if not turned promptly, they can easily grow mold, and uneven heating can lead to unpleasant sour or rotten fruit flavors. Throughout the process, fresh coffee fruits are spread in a thin layer to provide better ventilation and drying conditions. After 14-18 days, when the moisture content drops to the target level, they can be bagged and sent to the warehouse.

The Flavor Profile

Considering that the natural Red Cherry comes from high-altitude regions and possesses rich floral and fruit aromas, FrontStreet Coffee's roaster made multiple adjustments and finally chose a medium-light roast to present this bean. After a few days of resting, FrontStreet Coffee cupped the natural Red Cherry coffee and found that its dry aroma presented rich berry sweetness. When slurped at different temperatures, it revealed soft berry sweetness, mature fruit fermentation notes, distinct honey sweetness, and a black tea finish, with a smooth mouthfeel.

Important Notice :

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