Tewabech Tilo grows coffee on 6.5 hectares of land in the Yirgacheffe region of Ethiopia. Yirgacheffe is 1 of 8 woredas, or districts, that together comprise the dense and competitive highland zone of Gedeo. The entire Gedeo zone is often referred to as Yirgacheffe because it is by far the most famous and renowned, with a long history of recognizable terroir. Whereas most lots in this area are around half an acre, Tewabech's 6.5 hectares is considered very large. The vast majority of coffee processing in Ethiopia is centralized due to the lack of infrastructure at the farm level, but larger plots like Tewabech’s allow for greater personal control. This lot is Tewabech’s entire specialty crop, harvested with the assistance of 7 workers, sorted for consistency, and sundried on her property on raised beds for about 3 weeks. There are very few single-farm coffees available from this part of Ethiopia. Family-owned and operated coffee importer, Royal, led the formation of the Single Farmer Lots Program. This program breaks off single-farmer lots from the larger cooperative blends typically sold anonymously through the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX). Taking custody of these precious coffees through a direct sale has supported these farmers over the last 10 years. This created a unique micro-channel of almost unprecedented specificity and tracilbility in coffee supply from Ethiopia. Tewabech Tilo started processing and marketing her own coffee in 2019. After losing her husband 27 years ago, she raised her 6 children alone—all of whom are now college-educated and work to help support her and her farm. Tewabech’s coffee is managed and exported by Konga Trading PLC, a recently-formed company owned by, who else, the former General Manager of the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU), Takele Mammo. Takele was an instrumental partner of Royal’s during his time at YCFCU, helping us identify and successfully export single-farmer lots for the first time in the Union’s long history.
