SHAKISO KAYON MOUNTAIN - Guji, Ethiopia (natural process)

tastes like blueberry pie & vanilla ice cream!

Taro washing station (one of the washing stations run by Kayon Mountain) is one the biggest processing sites in the area. Before Taro was established, producers from the area had to travel long distances from their farms to sell their coffee for unsustainable prices. This changed once Taro washing station was built, allowing local producers to easily sell their coffees, find better prices, and access more job opportunities within the washing station infrastructure.

This is a natural processed coffee (often called “sundried” in Ethiopia), so instead of removing the fruit and drying in parchment, whole, ripe cherries are then dried in the sunshine on raised drying beds for about 15–18 days depending on the weather conditions. They’re turned regularly to prevent moisture concentration or overdrying. The cherries are covered with plastic or shade nets during the midday heat and at night.