ETHIOPIA AYLA Bombe NATURAL
General Information
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Origin: Ethiopia
Region: Sidama Location: Bombe Kebele, Bensa Woreda Washing/Drying Station: Ayla Farmers: 725 active members (290 female, 435 male) Cultivar: 74112, 74110, Mikicho & Setami Altitude: 1,950 to 2,150 meters above sea level Process: Natural (cherry delivery → sorting → raised bed sun drying) Drying Duration: 15–18 days, with regular turning and covering Harvest: From December 2024 to February 2025 Cherry Price | FOB Price: 6.01 USD/kg | 10.19 USD/Kg Screen | Moisture | Density: 14+ | 10.8 % | 0.746 g/ml Packaging: 30 Kg + GrainPro Score: 86.4 Notes: Plum, raspberry, caramel, orange |
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TRACEABILITYThis lot was produced by smallholder farming families from the Bombe community, located in Bensa Woreda, within the Sidama region of Ethiopia. This area is characterised by its high altitude, fertile loamy-clay soils, and a temperate microclimate that allows for slow and even cherry maturation, resulting in coffees with fruity sweetness, clean acidity, and high aromatic complexity.
Ripe cherries are handpicked and delivered daily to the Ayla Processing Station, managed by Testi Coffee Exporter. Upon arrival, each batch of cherries undergoes a floating and visual sorting process to remove under-ripe or defective cherries. Accepted cherries are recorded with a unique lot code that identifies the group of contributing farmers, delivery date, and batch weight—ensuring full traceability from harvest to export. Drying takes place on raised African beds built with bamboo mesh to promote airflow. The cherries are spread in thin layers and turned regularly to ensure uniform drying. During peak sunlight hours or rainy conditions, protective covers are used to maintain stable moisture and prevent unwanted fermentation. Each drying bed is labelled with its corresponding lot code, and the station’s technical staff maintains daily records of temperature, humidity, and drying time. Once the cherries reach an optimal moisture level of 10–11%, they are transported to Testi Coffee’s central dry mill in Addis Ababa, where the coffee is hulled, cleaned, and sorted by density and screen size. Throughout this process, the individual identity of each lot is preserved through coded labelling and a digital traceability system. Finally, the coffee is cupped and approved by Testi Coffee’s quality control team before export, ensuring sensory consistency and transparency at origin. THE MOST COMPLEX ORIGINEthiopia is an extraordinary and probably the most complex origin in the coffee world. Its diverse geography, immense cultural richness, and vast number of native varieties make this country truly unique. Understanding its coffee industry requires time, travel, cupping, and research, as its production and trade systems are deeply intertwined with the nation’s history, economy, and politics.
Coffee is essential to the Ethiopian economy, accounting for between 30 and 35 percent of the country’s export earnings. In the first ten fiscal months of 2024/2025, coffee exports reached a record income of USD 1.868 billion, with a total volume of 354,302 tons — an increase of around 70 percent compared to the same period the previous year. By the end of the fiscal year, total sales are expected to exceed USD 2 billion. In addition, production for the 2025/2026 crop year is projected to reach 11.6 million 60-kilogram bags. The Ethiopian economy relies heavily on imports, which keeps the trade balance negative and exerts constant pressure on foreign currency reserves. This situation has encouraged the participation of actors outside the coffee industry, and it is estimated that up to 40 percent of the export price is lost to intermediaries during the production and logistics process. However, since 2017, washing stations have been allowed to sell directly to importers without depending on the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX), improving both traceability and coffee quality. More than 90 percent of Ethiopian coffee is produced by smallholder farmers who deliver their cherries to the nearest washing station, whether privately owned or cooperative. These cooperatives are organized into Unions, which function as umbrella organizations providing support in marketing, financing, logistics, and production. This cooperative model has fostered greater transparency, a more direct connection between producer and buyer, and a stronger positive impact on the rural communities that depend on coffee for their livelihood. WHY “HEIRLOOM” HOLDS BACK SPECIALTY COFFEEIn common language, the word “heirloom” refers to something valuable passed down from generation to generation, such as a piece of jewelry or a seed preserved over time. In an agricultural context, it describes a plant that has been reproduced for many years within a family or community. However, from a botanical perspective, Arabica coffee is a self-pollinating species, which means the term “heirloom” does not strictly apply to it.
For decades, in the coffee industry, the word “heirloom” has been used in Ethiopia as a general term to describe unknown or mixed varieties from a specific lot, farm, or region. These varieties, passed from one producer to another, form part of Ethiopia’s living coffee heritage. With the rise of the specialty coffee movement, however, the need for greater traceability and accuracy in identifying varieties became evident. Although the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) has been conducting research and developing new varieties since the 1970s, information about these varieties has not always been accessible to international buyers. Today, thanks to researchers like Getu Bekele and other Ethiopian professionals, the country’s coffee genetic heritage can be classified with much greater clarity. We now recognize two major groups of varieties: regional varieties, or landraces, and the improved varieties developed by JARC. It is estimated that there are between 6,000 and 10,000 landraces, the result of centuries of natural adaptation, and around 40 improved varieties selected for resistance to diseases such as Coffee Berry Disease (CBD), as well as for yield and cup quality. These improved lines—such as 74110 and 74112—are now widely cultivated across all coffee-growing regions of Ethiopia. In the Jimma region, for example, the improved varieties originate from the 1974/75 Metu Bishari selection, which includes 74110, 74112, 74140, 74148, and 74165. Among the best-known regional varieties of the area are Kuburi, Bedessa, Yawan, and Dalacha. In the south, in regions such as Sidama and Yirgacheffe, the most common landraces are Mikicho and Setami, celebrated for their aromatic complexity, bright acidity, and floral notes. Each region of Ethiopia preserves a unique balance between genetic tradition and varietal improvement—reflecting the immense diversity that defines the world’s most emblematic origin of Arabica coffee. |
ETHIOPIA: THE LONG JOURNEY OF COFFEE
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