Ethiopia
Bitoya
Edema Family
Layo Teraga Village
Guji
Uraga
Oromia Region
2000-2200 masl

Blueberry, fanta, and plum.

Farmers in Layo Teraga village have the holy trinity conditions for high-calibre coffee cultivation. Some of the best microclimate conditions--sunny days followed by cool nights. High altitudes 2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level--the secret to high density, slow maturing, sweet complex coffee. Rich and diverse--supported by generous reliable rainfall the region enjoys fertile soil and supportive biodiversity.

It's called 'Brothers': This Bitoya lot is sourced from 500 small family farms surrounding the Oboleyan washing stations in the Guji region. The Oboleyan washing stations are owned and operated by the Edema family, part of a coffee-farming family legacy in the making. Following their father’s footsteps Anteneh and his brothers established the Oboleyan washing stations with a fairly straight-up mission: To produce top-quality coffee, plain, simple, and truly representative of this iconic region and this unique set of microclimates. In practice, this means in essence that the in-place protocols and processes must be seamless to stay out of the way and let these coffees shine. The name of the Edema family washing stations 'Oboleyan' means brothers in the local Oromia language. Aptly named it fits their way of doing things at Oboleyan, and encapsulates all that they do--Working together in a brotherhood, with vision, and values culminating in a single shared goal. 

Simple requires consistency and care: The farmers in the area take extra care when harvesting. They pick only the ripest cherries by hand, delivering them to the washing station for processing. Once there, the cherries go through a meticulous series of steps, from removing defects to grading and sun-drying on elevated African beds. During peak sun hours, the beans are shaded and rotated frequently to ensure even drying, a process that takes about 12-15 days to reach the perfect moisture level of 11.5%. Once ready, the beans are transported to Addis Ababa, where they’re milled, bagged, and prepped for export.

Step aside Yirg...Guji is coming: The Guji region, with its mountainous terrain and ample rainfall, is a coffee-growing paradise. Though Guji coffees were historically lumped in with those from neighbouring Sidamo and Yirgacheffe, they’re now carving out a reputation of their own. Thanks to their exceptional quality and unique flavour profiles, Guji coffees are quickly gaining international recognition.

Ethiopia isn’t just known as the birthplace of coffee, it's also a leader in specialty coffee for its wide range of complex flavours. Ethiopian coffee's exceptional quality comes from a blend of factors, with one particularly interesting factor being the genetic diversity of coffee varieties and the unique flavours they produce--even on neighbouring farms with similar growing conditions! 

Continuous refinement, not radical change: Coffee farming in the Guji region hasn't radically changed in the same ways that other coffee-producing nations have in recent years. It also hasn't had to, thanks to a tradition of coffee cultivation and a coffee farming culture that prioritises process improvements, and the importance of honouring their coffee history and traditions. 

In addition to coffee, farmers in Layo Teraga also grow corn and enset (a type of false banana), keeping their farms diverse and sustainable--again, it's simple and the way they've always done things. This simplicity also means the coffee is typically grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. From planting to harvesting to drying, the entire process is done manually, preserving their unique coffee cultivation culture, and with ownership and brotherhood ensuring autonomy, buy-in and support.