Chelchele Espresso / Washed / Ethiopia

Origin: Ethiopia
Producer: Smallholder producers        
Washing station: Chelchele station    
Region: Chelchele, Gedeb, Gedeo Zone
Varieties: Heirloom
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1900 - 2100 masl
Flavour Profile: Strawberry, Fig, & Vanilla

Chelchele processes coffee using both natural and washed methods, with local smallholders delivering ripe cherries to the site. The area has an average yearly temperature of 15.5 to 17.8 degrees Celsius and gets enough rain, about 1404 mm each year, with rain falling evenly throughout. There are two rainy seasons: from February to May and July to October. The processing site has space for up to 150 drying beds. The flowering period for the coffee plants is from February to April, while the harvesting period spans from October to January.

The Chelchele washing and dry processing site is named after the village of Chelchele, where it processes coffee grown at elevations ranging from 1900 to 2100 metres. The site itself is located at 2000 metres elevation and features well-developed infrastructure, including 14 standard fermentation and washing tanks, 130-150 drying beds, and two water tanks with a capacity of 90,000 litres each.

The coffee varieties are intercropped with Enset, beans and avocado trees in the region's red-brown fertile soil. The site includes a 30 by 16-metre warehouse for dry coffee preparation. The Chelchele processing site occupies an estimated area of 2.2 hectares.

We buy this coffee with help from Nordic Approach.