Gigesa Guji Ethiopia

Story

This is a stunning example of how sweet and clean washed Ethiopian coffees can be. Floral, sweet citrus and juicy peach tea brings a sweet burst of awesome to your cup.

Gigesa is a small town in the Danbi Uddo Kebele, not far from Shakiso in Ethiopia’s renowned Guji Zone. This area is home to over 500 smallholder coffee farmers, each cultivating 2 to 5 hectares of land at altitudes exceeding 1,800 meters above sea level. The Gigesa washing station, named after the town it serves, plays a vital role in collecting and processing the cherries from these farms. Owned and operated by the Yonis family, the washing station is a cornerstone of sustainable and high-quality coffee production, proudly holding both NOP and EU Organic certifications.

The journey of Gigesa coffee begins with freshly picked cherries delivered to the washing station. As part of a meticulous quality control process, the cherries are floated in water to separate any lower-quality fruit. The sorted cherries are then depulped using traditional disc pulpers, after which the pulped coffee rests in fermentation tanks for 36 to 48 hours, depending on weather conditions. During this critical phase, the mucilage is broken down and removed through a final washing in canals, leaving the coffee clean and ready for drying.