Ethiopia — Gara Agena Smallholder Farmers JARC 74158 (Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Strawberry Jam • 🍍 Passion Fruit • 🌸 White Blossom • 🍬 Cane Sugar

DETAILS

• Producer: Selected Farmers — Gara Agena
• Region: Karamo, Sidama, Ethiopia
• Varietal: JARC 74158
• Process: Natural (35-Day Drying)
• Altitude: 2,235–2,350 MASL
• Size: 200g

INTRO

A natural that immediately stood out — bright, juicy, and packed with fruit, while still feeling clean and refined. Grown at Gara Agena in Karamo, Sidama, this lot shows off the classic Ethiopian natural profile: floral aromatics, dried cherry, passion fruit, and a honey-like sweetness developed through careful cherry selection and a slow 35-day drying process. Vibrant, soft, and incredibly enjoyable. In the cup: strawberry jam, passion fruit, white blossom, and cane sugar.

THE PRODUCER

Gara Agena sits at 2,235–2,350 MASL in Karamo, within the Sidama growing region of southern Ethiopia — one of the country's most celebrated areas for naturally processed coffee. The lot is produced by selected farmers from the surrounding community, whose careful cherry selection at harvest is central to the quality and consistency of the final cup. At this altitude, cherries develop slowly, concentrating sugars and building the aromatic intensity that defines Sidama's finest naturals.

JARC 74158 was developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre and selected for its resistance to coffee berry disease and its high yield potential. At extreme altitude in Karamo, it produces a naturally processed cup of remarkable fruit sweetness, floral aromatics, and clarity.

THE PROCESS

The Natural process at Gara Agena involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries carefully selected at peak ripeness by farmers in the surrounding community 🔍 Sorting — Only the finest ripe cherries chosen to ensure consistency and clarity ☀️ Slow drying — Whole cherries dried over a slow 35-day period, allowing sugars to develop fully and evenly within the cherry

The slow 35-day drying is the defining step — by extending the drying period well beyond conventional timelines, the natural sugars within the cherry are given time to develop fully and evenly, building the dried cherry depth, passion fruit brightness, and honey-like sweetness that define this lot while keeping the cup clean and refined.

THE CUP

A vibrant and expressive natural from one of Sidama's most celebrated growing areas — strawberry jam and passion fruit sweetness up front, floral white blossom aromatics throughout, and a cane sugar sweetness that ties everything together. Fruity, soft, and a genuine pleasure to drink.

Flavour Notes

🍓 Strawberry Jam 🍍 Passion Fruit 🌸 White Blossom 🍬 Cane Sugar