Basha Bekele – Natural 74158

Tastes Like: 🍈 Cantaloupe · 🥭 Passionfruit · 🫐 Blueberries

Origin: Bombe, Bensa, Sidama, Ethiopia
Variety: 74158
Producer: Basha Bekele
Elevation: 2,250 MASL
Process: Natural

About the Producer and Coffee

Before Ethiopia’s coffee reforms allowed smallholders to obtain their own export licenses, Basha Bekele and his father sold their coffee through local cooperatives. Today, Basha manages his own export operations and produces exceptional naturals across 12 hectares of semi-forested land in Bombe, Bensa, Sidama.

In addition to his own production, he runs collection sites in Bombe, Shantawane, and Kokose, where he works with 126 local farmers cultivating coffee up to 2,300 masl. Even in a year of high cherry prices, Basha demonstrated his commitment to his community by providing a second payment to contributing farmers once the coffee was sold — a rare and commendable practice.

Basha primarily focuses on dry-processed coffees, occasionally experimenting with anaerobic fermentations. Every lot undergoes careful cherry flotation to remove defects before being dried slowly on raised beds, with certain lots shaded to maintain even drying and clarity.

In the Cup

This is our second import from Basha, and once again his meticulous approach shines through. The cup is vivid, juicy, and tropical, balancing sweetness and brightness in perfect harmony.

Expect flavors of ripe cantaloupe and tangy passionfruit, with a deep note of blueberry jam rounding out the profile. It’s an elegant yet playful expression of high-elevation Sidama — clean, aromatic, and bursting with fruit.