Ethiopia — Shantawene Washing Station Heirloom (Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Strawberry • 🍬 Candy • 🍋 Citrus

DETAILS

• Producer: ~1,600 smallholder farmers (Daye Bensa)
• Washing Station: Shantawene
• Region: Bensa, Sidama, Ethiopia
• Varietal: Heirloom
• Process: Natural
• Elevation: 1,900–2,100 masl
• Harvest: November–January

INTRO
From the Shantawene washing station in the Bensa district, at the foothills of the Bombe mountains — a light roast bursting with strawberry, candy sweetness, and citrus brightness. In the cup: strawberry, candy, and citrus.

THE PRODUCER
The Shantawene washing station serves about 1,600 smallholder farmers cultivating local varieties in the foothills of the Bombe mountains. It's operated by Daye Bensa, founded by two brothers renowned for producing high-quality coffee and advocating organic farming practices. The station continuously invests in upgrading its processing equipment, playing a significant role in developing innovative and experimental methods, and has been working to encourage women farmers while strengthening ties with Hawassa University to support student research.

Sidama is home to over 50 cooperatives and 200 washing stations, producing the most coffee at the highest grades anywhere in Ethiopia. Fertile highlands, surrounding rivers and lakes, high elevation, and over 100 inches of annual rainfall combine to slow cherry ripening more than in any other region of the country. Most producers here are small independent farmers using traditional methods, without access to chemical fertilisers or pesticides.

THE PROCESS
Cherries are hand-harvested at peak ripeness and delivered to the station the same day they're picked. Defective, unripe, or overripe cherries are carefully separated to ensure consistency, then spread to dry on raised beds, with the beans resting inside the intact cherry throughout, slowly absorbing fruit sugar and developing the flavour base that defines the natural process.

This meticulous same-day delivery and careful sorting is the defining step — it's what preserves the clean strawberry and candy sweetness that define this cup, despite natural processing's tendency toward heavier fermentation character.

THE CUP
Light and vibrant — strawberry sweetness leads, with a candy-like quality throughout and a citrus brightness on the finish.

Flavour Notes
🍓 Strawberry 🍬 Candy 🍋 Citrus