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 & dried in cherry on raised beds

Exporter: Ephtah Coffee | Importer: Falcon Speciality

Cup profile: Jammy & floral, violet, blueberry & nectarine

Purchase history: Since 2024

More about Lalesa & Ephtah Speciality Coffee:

Lalesa is the washing station where this coffee is processed, based in the Gedeb area of Guji Zone in southern Ethiopia, purchasing coffee from nearby small-holder growers. The station 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. This is done 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 a traditional natural. The delivered cherries are initially floated to remove quakers, then placed on drying beds for 12-15 days. Green beans are further handpicked by local women during the drying process.

Aside from operating their own processing sites like Lalesa Ephtah also partner with other station, often independently owned by local farmers. Forming these partnerships is mutually beneficial as Ephtah can increase the volume of coffee they’re able to export whilst providing access to speciality market and vital support to these producers such as quality processing protocols, financing and further agronomy and technical assistance.

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.

This is our third year of working with Ephtah and their coffees and we are so happy to have found this brilliant partner not only providing outstanding quality but also contributing to a positive impact in their communities. We have an awesome range of coffees from Ephtah to share with you this year, starting with this sweet sweet espresso.