We are excited to introduce you to Bekele Kachera, a hardworking coffee farmer from Bensa, Sidamo, who has dedicated his life to producing high-quality coffee beans. Bekele inherited the art of coffee farming from his father and has been working on his family’s farm since he was a young boy. Now, at 52 years old, Bekele has carried on the tradition and is passing it down to the younger generation.

Bekele’s journey in coffee farming started in 1993 when he moved to Murago village and began planting coffee on his 7-hectare land. Over the years, he has faced challenges such as financial instability and an unpredictable market, but he has overcome them through hard work and determination.

His farm, located in the highest altitude of Bensa, provides a unique environment with fresh air that is perfect for producing high-quality coffee. The beans from his farm have a distinct taste, with smaller bean sizes than other farms in the area.

In terms of sustainability, Bekele is committed to 100% organic production, using cattle waste as compost and nitrogen-fixing trees as shade. He

has never used chemicals on his farm and takes great pride in his environmentally friendly practices.

One of Bekele’s greatest achievements was placing 15th at the COE Ethiopia in 2022, where his Natural Sidamo Grade 1 scored an impressive 88. His dedication to quality has not gone unnoticed, and his coffee has gained popularity after the COE award.

Looking towards the future, Bekele aims to produce even higher quality coffee at a micro and nano level. His vision is to continue working hard to maintain the highest level of quality, and he hopes to welcome coffee lovers from around the world to Bensa, Murago, to experience his coffee firsthand.

As a small-scale coffee farmer, Bekele’s commitment to sustainable and high-quality coffee production is truly inspiring. 

We hope you are as excited as we are to experience Bekele’s Natural Sidamo Grade 1, as this exceptional coffee is now available for purchase. Let us continue to support farmers like Bekele and celebrate the hard work and dedication that go into every cup of coffee.

The Journey of the Bekele Kachera Coffee.

The journey of the Bekele Kachera coffee is a meticulous process of cultivation and processing that transforms red coffee cherries into the beans ready for export and ultimate consumption.

Collecting:

1. Once the cherries have reached the ideal level of ripeness, they are picked meticulously by hand.

• Bekele buys red cherries by the kilo from 40-50 smallholder coffee farmers around his drying station in Bensa, where the selection of the prime cherries occurs.

• The dried cherries are then stored in burlap bags in the warehouse, ready for the next phase of their journey.

Processing:

1. Bekele Kachera adopts a combination of natural and anaerobic methods to process his coffee cherries.

• The workers hand-sort the freshly picked cherries for defects to ensure quality, followed by drying them.

• Drying is done under the sun at the dry station located near the farm. Here, the cherries are spread on raised African beds, allowing for even exposure to the sun and airflow.  

Milling at Origin:

1. The next stop is the local cooperative mill, where the husks of the dried cherries are removed to reveal the actual coffee bean.
   1. Post-milling, the beans are weighed, with standard bags being 85 kilograms, and stored at the coop warehouse.

Secondary Processing:

1. After the initial milling, the coffee heads to Getachew Zeleke’s Dry Mill in Dukem, for further refinement.
   1. At this state-of-the-art facility, the beans are cleaned and polished.
   1. They are meticulously sorted, removing any foreign elements and separating beans by size to discard those that are too small or too large.
   1. The Sortex machine from Buhler utilizes infrared technology to remove defective beans, ensuring only the best quality.
   1. The coffee that passes all these strict criteria is weighed into 60-kilogram allocations, packed in grainpro bags, and then encased in an outer burlap bag for protection.

Export:

1. The bags are loaded into a 20-foot container at the Getachew Zeleke Dry Mill.
2. This container is transported to the Djibouti Port.
3. Upon arrival in Djibouti and according to schedule, the container is then loaded onto a vessel.
4. The vessel embarks on its voyage across the oceans, with Seattle, WA, as its destination, where the Bekele Kachera coffee will be distributed and enjoyed.