Gotiti, Ethiopia | Natural

Origin and Harvest

Ethiopian coffee production is profoundly influenced by the country's three main seasons. The Bega season (October-January) is the long dry period, crucial for coffee harvesting and processing. The Belg season (February-May) brings the first rains, essential for coffee flowering and early fruit development. The Krempt season (June-September) sees heavy rainstorms from the east, crucial for the later stages of coffee fruit development and ripening. By the end of September, the rains cease abruptly, allowing the coffee fruits to ripen, leading to a bustling harvest period by November.

About Ephtah Specialty Coffee

Ephtah Specialty Coffee is dedicated to building sustainable and collaborative supply chains that benefit customers, farmers, and their communities. The company emphasizes promoting the role of women in the coffee industry, recognizing their pivotal role in driving social and economic change in Ethiopia. Ephtah ensures quality at every stage of the shipment process, focusing on providing the highest quality green coffee beans and maintaining satisfaction among all stakeholders in the supply chain.

Ephtah Specialty Coffee is dedicated to social and environmental projects. The company provides initial payments to farmers upon receipt of their coffee and supports them with quality premiums, second payments, and assistance with school fees. Future investment plans include expanding the Ama Commitment scheme, building a water tank for flotation, increasing the number of drying beds, and cultivating additional crops on the land to support local markets.

Looking ahead, the expansion of the "Ama Commitment" scheme reflects Burkutan's enduring commitment to community development. Her dedication to cultivating false banana, used for producing Kocho, a local food product, further underscores her commitment to sustainability and food security.

Gotiti Farm

Tigist whose name in ahmaric means 'patience' inherited her small 2 Ha farm from her family which sits at 2150-2200 masl. The farm is planted with heriloom varietals. In the harvest season upto 15 people will work on the farm collecting cherry. The farm in total can produce 3000kg of green coffee each season. This coffee once picked is then dried for 15 days on raised beds.

Tigist also receives cherry from other producers in the area as well. She has in total 150 raised beds and in the harvest she has 70 emloyess helping her and then 10 regular employees year round.

Tigist whose name is Ahmaric means patience is an active participant in the "Ama Commitment" scheme. This initiative underscores her commitment to economic and social progress within her community. Financially, she receives 60% of her payment immediately upon delivering her coffee produce, with the remainder disbursed upon the exporter's settlement with buyers. Notably, Tigist benefited from prefunding of 20% from Ephtah Coffee, highlighting the collaborative effort that contributes to her success.

Challenges and Future Plans

This year, financial constraints have been a significant challenge due to the National Bank of Ethiopia's policy to control inflation. However, Ephtah is committed to ongoing investment and development, including expanding drying facilities and supporting local farmers.