Ethiopia Worka Sakaro Anaerobic Natural

Ethiopia, considered to be the birthplace of coffee, is one of the only places in the world where coffee grows wild. The vast genetic diversity of the different coffee varietals, coupled with the high elevation and advanced processing methods, result in Ethiopian coffee’s exotic and complex flavors.

Worka Sakaro washing station is located in a small high altitude area of the same name in the Gedeb district close to Yirgacheffe in southern Ethiopia. It is the first washing station established by Ato Mijane Worassa on land he inherited from his father. Ato Mijane has journeyed from corn farmer, to coffee trader, to his lifelong dream as coffee exporter. He now owns several washing stations that are managed by his son Daniel. The Mijanes are celebrated for the high quality of the coffee they produce and the personal overseeing of every step from the moment the coffee is accepted from the farmer to the moment it is shipped out in sacks.

Worka Sakaro supports over 300 smallholder farmers, many of whom grow their coffee on the slopes of the nearby Rudu mountain. The station provides pre-financing for the farmers as well as classes about the importance of local forests and best practices for organic compost. The Mijanes also support a number of community projects for local schools and churches.

For this coffee, only the ripest cherries were selected. In addition to hand sorting, the washing station uses a brix meter to measure each cherry's mucilage content. The selected cherries are briefly soaked in water to separate and remove any that float. The more desirable denser cherries sink to the bottom and are immediately moved to raised beds to dry off any excess water.

The selected cherries are packed in special plastic bags to start the fermentation process. After 16 hours of natural fermentation, the remaining oxygen is removed from the bags. Depending on the outside temperature and weather, the fermentation can take anywhere from 3-7 days. The Ph level and color are carefully monitored and when they reach the ideal combination, the coffee is transferred to raised beds for final drying.