ETHIOPIA MUSTEFA ABAKENO

Sweet coffee with notes of black tea, gooseberry and lime

Mustefa Abakeno, a dedicated smallholder farmer in the Jimma Zone of Western Ethiopia, manages an extensive 18-hectare farm located at an impressive elevation of 2,040 meters above sea level. His farm is a testament to the rich coffee heritage of Ethiopia, featuring a diverse array of coffee varieties sourced from the esteemed Jimma research center. Mustefa's coffee processing methods artfully blend tradition and innovation to create exceptional coffee beans.

At the beginning of his endeavour Mustefa purchased a three discs Coffee Pulper, this was used to enable him to process half of his harvest as Fully Washed coffees. The other half undergoes the natural process, where cherries are carefully dried with the fruit pulp intact. However, due to water scarcity and limited fermentation space, the pulped coffee experiences a concise eight-hour fermentation period before being skillfully transferred to drying beds. The outcome of this rigorous process resembles a light honey in flavor. In contrast, the naturals enjoy a more leisurely drying period, taking 24-27 days to reach perfection on the African (raised) beds.

In 2018, Mustefa embarked on his journey as an exporter, benefiting from regulatory changes that allowed him to engage directly with discerning buyers. To facilitate this endeavor, he established the "Beshasha" wet mill, a versatile facility processing both his coffee and that of local outgrowers. These outgrowers, Mustefa's neighbors, collectively oversee land parcels ranging from 4 to 10 hectares.