Feature Filter: Lalesa (Anaerobic Natural) | Ethiopia
Key Origin Info:
Producer: Small-holder growers delivering cherry to Lalesa station
Processed at: Lalesa station owned and managed by Ephtah Speciality Coffee
Region: Gedeb woreda, Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia
Altitude: 2000 masl
Variety: Cultivated landrace varieties
Process: Sorted, cleaned , fermented in barrels for nine days before being dried on raised beds
Exporter: Ephtah Coffee | Importer: Falcon Speciality
Cup profile: Jammy mouthfeel, boozy peach & tropical fruits
Purchase history: 2 seasons (2024, 2025)
Wubit Bekele (right) - the founder or Ephtath with one of the farmers from their local community.
Lalesa processing station. Photo courtesy of Ephtah
More about Lalesa & Ephtah Coffee:
Lalesa is a processing site based in the Gedeb area of Guji Zone in southern Ethiopia, purchasing coffee from nearby small-holder growers.
The site is run by Ephtah - a community focused exporter. Established by Wubit Bekele, Ephtah is committed to delivering outstanding quality coffee whilst improving the lives within their communities, with particular focus on promoting the role of women as being the main drivers of positive social and economic change in Ethiopia.
Lalesa station is Ephtah’s key processing station and the largest one if the Gedeb region. It employs 20 permanent staff and boasts 350 drying beds. During harvest the station provides income to further 250 seasonal workers.
This particular lot is processed as using an “anaerobic natural” method where sorted and cleaned cherries first undergo a fermentation in closed plastic barrels before being dried on raised beds for around 13 - 138 days. During the drying cherries are sorted for defects before the coffee is eventually de-husked and further sorted at the dry mill.
As Ephtah explains:
The majority of low paying seasonal labour is provided by women but very few farms are women owned. In addition, those farms are often less productive as women have less access to resources – primarily inputs, finance, and training. Our approach has two main pillars:
1. Providing women with the skills and knowledge to enhance economic empowerment - Ephtah provides training programs around production and quality analysis to help improve women’s knowledge and confidence. This often leads to an improvement in their access to finance which can lead to dramatic improvements in their standard of living.
2. Strengthening women’s voice and participation in decision making and leadership - Ephtah helps to create safe spaces for women in the communities we source from. We collaborate with local groups to encourage women in the community to become involved in local decision-making processes and leadership positions. Ephtah further supports women through the AMA Commitment with initiative including diversifying sources of income and running daycare centre for growers’ children during harvest time.
