SEDI LOYA, Ethiopia (Washed)

Sedi Loya is a washing station located in Gera, in the Jimma zone, about 40km southwest of the city of Jimma, owned by Khalid Shifa together with his brother, Ahmed Abateman. It employs 45 people, permanent and seasonal, who collect cherries directly from local farmers and process them on site, on the station's 140 drying beds. Khalid Shifa is one of the best-known suppliers in the Jimma region, running several stations and an active support program for smallholder farmers in the area, through sustainable agriculture training and continuous investment in infrastructure.

The coffee grows at about 1,900m above sea level in the Gera region, one of Ethiopia's areas with a long coffee-growing tradition, known for its rich forests where coffee often grows in the shade of native trees. The variety is Heirloom: the native, genetically unaltered populations specific to Ethiopian coffee.

Washed processing involves removing the pulp and mucilage from the bean before drying, in a process repeated daily throughout the harvest. The result is a clean coffee with high aromatic clarity, in which the delicate notes stand out clearly, without interference from the fruit's sweetness.

Sedi Loya develops notes of bergamot, apricot and honey, supported by a medium body, medium acidity and high sweetness, in an elegant, floral cup, typical of what a well-executed washed coffee from Ethiopia can offer.