FEATURE ESPRESSO | Shoondhisa (Natural) | Ethiopia
FEATURE ESPRESSO | Shoondhisa (Natural) | Ethiopia
A classic natural processed lot of local landrace and JARC selection varieties grown by smallholder farmers around the Shoondhisa hamlet in Guji, and processed under the leadership of Ture Waji at Sookoo Coffee Company’s Shoondhisa washing station.
This coffee is great for espresso machines and stovetops as well as fuller-bodied Aeropress or cafetière brews. Great on its own and with milk.
Jammy body, blueberries & tangerines
Key Origin Info:
Producer: Small-holder growers delivering cherry to Shoondhisa station
Processed at: Shoondhisa washing station owned and managed by Sookoo Coffee Company
Region: Shoondisa hamlet, Shakiso woreda of Guji zone, Oromia, Ethiopia
Altitude: 2000 masl
Variety: Cultivated landrace and JARC selection varieties
Process: Sorted, cleaned & dried in cherry on raised beds
Exporter: Sookoo Coffee Company | Importer: Falcon Speciality
Cup profile: Jammy & floral, blueberry & tangerine
Purchase history: Since 2025
More about Shoondhisa & Sookoo Coffee:
This lot has been cultivated and harvested by small-holder farmers around the Shoondhisa hamlet of Shakiso woreda, in the Guji Zone within the larger Oromia region.
As is common in Ethiopia and many other African coffee producing countries, growers harvest their coffee cherries which they sell to a nearby washing or processing station. In this case the processing station is owned and operated by Sookoo Coffee - a processing and exporting company led by Ture Waji. Ture is a driven young entrepreneur with strong connections to the land, its community and farmers, famously known in the region as ‘The King of Guji’. He has lived and worked in the region his entire life. Previously working as Quality Specialist and Manager at the Mormora Estate and Guji Highlands Coffee Company, he became renowned as one of the most skilled producers of natural processed Ethiopian coffees. In 2018, along with his partners Eegata Alaka and Fedhasa Wodessahe they founded a new venture - Sookoo Coffee.
Sookoo focus predominantly on producing naturally processed coffees but in recent years they have also started experimenting with the production of some washed coffees, and with exceptional results. Coffee cherries are sourced from the surrounding ‘kebeles’ (localities), cultivated, harvested and delivered by local growers. Each lot processed at the station is then named after the kebele from which the cherry comes (e.g. Shoondhisa, Bookkisa, Daannisa etc).
As well as operating drying stations Ture and the team spend time between harvests providing education to growers, training them in good agricultural and harvesting practices.
