Swerl Coffee Roasters - Mr. Berhanu Kurse Natural Heirloom | Ethiopia

Ethiopia — Berhanu Kurse Gotiti Ethiopian Heirloom (Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍇 Red Berries • 🍑 Peach Candy • 🍬 Brown Sugar • 🍊 Orange Jam

DETAILS

• Producer: Mr. Berhanu Kurse
• Village: Gotiti, Gedeo
• Region: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
• Varietal: Ethiopian Heirloom
• Process: Natural
• Elevation: 2,200–2,300 masl

INTRO From Mr. Berhanu Kurse in the village of Gotiti, Gedeo — part of Cafe Imports' Single Farmer Project, one of the movements that first brought true farm-level traceability to Ethiopian coffee. Jammy, bold, and sweet, this natural is reminiscent of red berries and peach candy, layered with brown sugar and orange jam. In the cup: red berries, peach candy, brown sugar, and orange jam.

THE PRODUCER Mr. Kurse owns 12 hectares of land in Gedeo, a district in Ethiopia's Southern Regional State known for its high altitude and high-quality coffee production. Most of the land is planted with coffee, farmed with help from his children, who also hold smaller plots of their own. Inherited from his parents, the farm remains the family's main source of income, covering everything from daily needs to education, healthcare, and transportation.

His lot is part of Cafe Imports' Single Farmer Project, born from efforts in 2012 — a turbulent period in Ethiopia's coffee export history — when Cafe Imports worked with an established cooperative to bring some of the first truly farm-traceable Ethiopian lots to market. It was the first time a roaster could highlight an individual Ethiopian farmer by name, and it helped kick off the broader traceability movement now more common across the country. Under the project, samples go out to buyers, prices are negotiated on the farmer's behalf, and contracts are only finalised once the producer agrees to the price, with their name listed directly on it.

THE PROCESS This lot is a Natural — cherries are delivered the same day they're harvested, sorted for ripeness and quality, rinsed clean, then spread on raised drying beds and rotated constantly throughout drying, which can take 8 to 25 days depending on weather. This careful, closely monitored drying is what builds the jammy red berry and orange jam sweetness that define the cup.

THE CUP Jammy, bold, and sweet — red berries and peach candy up front, with brown sugar depth and an orange jam richness running through the finish. A vivid, farm-traceable expression of Yirgacheffe.

Flavour Notes 🍇 Red Berries 🍑 Peach Candy 🍬 Brown Sugar 🍊 Orange Jam