Ethiopia Yirgacheffe YirgaZ
On an early morning in Yirgacheffe late in the harvest season, workers arrive to the washing station and line up alongside the drying beds. Bundles of washed coffee in parchment are untied and opened wide. Dozens of hands reach into the beans, spreading them out flat to greet the rising sun. Mill managers pay close attention to the weather during the drying process. The coffee is re
...read more covered from 11am-3pm, the hottest part of the day, so that the beans are not scorched by the strong sun.
The coffee-growing region of Yirgacheffe is small but fertile, producing some of the world’s most well-known beans. The YirgZ takes the classic Yirgacheffe taste
profile to the next level by ensuring zero defects. To accomplish this, the coffee is rigorously sorted in a process that includes mechanical sorting by size and density, then careful hand sorting that takes three times longer than conventional coffee.
Meticulous processing results in clean, intense flavors. To show appreciation for this work, we pay the sorters twice the average wage and keeps wages timely and consistent despite a fluctuating coffee market. Workers say the extra income helps them support their communities and send their children to school, highlighting the importance of specialty coffee premiums and direct relationships trading practices.
