Ethiopia - Bedaye, Washed Espresso

In the Jimma zone of Ethiopia’s Oromia region, Khalid Shifa, a third-generation coffee farmer, is the steward of the 35-hectare Echemo farm. Situated at 2100 meters above sea level near the town of Agaro, Echemo benefits from a climate that allows for slow cherry maturation, contributing to dense, high-quality beans.

The farm is undergoing a significant transformation under Khalid’s stewardship. Historically a forested area, the land suffered from deforestation. Khalid is actively reversing this by re-planting native trees among the coffee plants, with the goal of establishing a complete agroforestry system. The farm is certified organic, meaning no mineral fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides are used; weeds are managed manually.

A significant portion of Echemo, 12 hectares, is dedicated to heirloom coffee trees over 80 years old. These trees, which have never been pruned or stumped, were grown from seeds sourced from the nearby Choche forest, a legendary origin site for coffee. This unique cultivation practice means pickers must often climb the tall trees to harvest the cherries. The remaining 17 hectares have been planted with seedlings from these old trees.

Khalid operates Echemo as both a farm and a processing site, equipped with 160 drying beds and a small wet mill. Initially producing only natural and honey-processed coffees, Khalid invested in wet milling equipment to expand his offerings. His washed coffees have been noted for their expressive character, which is attributed to the unique heirloom cultivars grown on the farm, as opposed to the more common improved varieties from the Jimma Agricultural Research Center.