Whole Bean Coffee

[EETH-EE-OPE-YA • KIH-BEH-DEH • GUH-NAH-LEH]

Process: Natural

Cherry Turnover, Granola, Black Tea

Much like the sweet pastry, this natural process coffee has that tartness of a cherry filling complemented by a sugary sweetness, and the body of black tea.

Thirty-one years ago, a 46-year-old farmer walked more than a day on foot from his village to Yirgacheffe for a Bible study trip and came home with coffee seedlings tucked under his arm. At the time, everyone in Buku said the land was too cold for coffee. Kebede Genale planted them anyway.

His first attempt failed. So did the next. But he kept going, learning everything he could from his church community in Yirgacheffe, quietly experimenting in his garden while the rest of the region looked on. Eventually, something remarkable happened: the seedlings took. Mr. Genale became the first farmer in the entire Buku region and possibly all of Hambella to successfully grow coffee at altitude.

Now 77, he still walks his land with an energy that puts most people half his age to shame. His farm spans over 20 hectares, perched at 2,200 meters where mornings arrive cold and frost isn't uncommon. Those long, chilly nights slow the drying process to 16 days or more, and that patience is exactly what makes his coffee so special. The cherries have time to deepen, to sweeten, to become something worth waiting for.

What ends up in your cup is vivid and generous: ripe berries, a ribbon of dark chocolate, and the kind of clarity that only comes from truly high-altitude fruit. Mr. Genale has competed in the Cup of Excellence and reached the top 40. We think that's just the beginning of the recognition he deserves.