Description
Ethiopian Guji washed coffee
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Tradition says the people of Guji (the Oromo) are descendants of a man called Gujo. His family raised cattle in this remote area of southern Ethiopia for generations. Today, however, most residents are farmers – tending fertile land scattered naturally amid largely untouched forest.
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Cattle herders though they were, It is believed by some historians that the Oromo people used coffee as early as the 10th century AD. They would mix coffee with fat to make bite-sized energy balls. The unique flavor profiles of the region’s coffees have since developed. Now a clean brightness, nuanced citrus and floral notes can be anticipated in every cup.
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The coffee industry in Guji has surged in recent decades. Haile Gebre of Shakisso Farm is a driving force behind Guji’s recent coffee agricultural growth. During a 2019 interview, he shared that the Ethiopian Guji population has planted between 11 and 15 million coffee trees every year for the past fifteen. More than 45 washing stations and 55 dry mills have also been established in the Guji Zone over the same period.
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The positive impact Guji coffee’s success is having on the local community is evident. Alongside the rest of the world, however, they face the effects of climate change head on. Regional growers employ sustainable farming practices such as Semi-Forest Agriculture to maintain the harmony of existing microclimates, and protect the region’s diverse flora and fauna.
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See Trabocca for more info
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