Origin Ethiopia

Process Washed

Altitude 1800 - 2000 M.A.S.L

Flavour Profile Juicy ripe berries, raspberries & strawberries

Varietal Heirloom

This coffee was grown by smallholder farmers living around the Kebele (town) of Konga in Yirgacheffe region of Ethiopia. The washing station is owned by Primrose. Primrose are responsible for dry milling and exporting the final green coffee product.

Most contributing farmers own less than a hectare of land, and they grow coffee simply as a backyard cash crop. Coffee will usually be interspersed with other subsistence crops, such as; sweet potato, mango's and avocados, but there are no other primary cash crops grown in the region. 

Primrose is a stakeholder in the supplier washing station and works directly with them to control for quality and cultural practices on the farm. Income from coffee is important but minimal for most farmers due to the small size of their farms. As such, inputs are minimal - most coffee grown in the region is 100% organic, though not certified, as farmers simply don't have the money to apply chemical fertilizer's, pesticides or herbicides. Primrose ensures that there are agricultural officers who work closely with each farmer to ensure the fertility of the farmland. 

Farmers in the region are susceptible to a number of challenges, namely; an ageing generation of coffee trees, negative effects of climate change and fluctuations in the coffee market price. Climate change, in particular, is having difficult repercussions, as fluctuating season's effects harvesting, as well as unexpected rains, increasing the length of the drying process. Fortunately, local initiatives are attempting to combat these problems. Working with agricultural development agents, farmers in the region are finding new support to help combat climate change as well as plant new coffee trees, helping to improve the sustainable production of coffee in the area.