Chelbesa Ethiopia. Organic. Mixed Heirloom Varietals. Natural.

Every bean has a story
Located in the Gedeo zone of the Gedeb district, Chelbesa is one of the finest coffee producing areas within the famous Gedeb Woreda. Known for its dense layered semi-forest vegetation structure encompassing false banana trees, as well as shade-grown coffee trees, Chelbesa is a great example of best coffee growing agro-ecology.

SNAP Specialty Coffee built their new wet mill in 2019 in a small hamlet called Danche within the Chelbesa Village. This was in the hope of reaching out to purchasing exclusively red cherries from the nearby farmers in Chelbesa Village. Their ambition became a reality after the completion of the project.

The fermentation tanks of the wet mill are ceramic which helps bring clarity in the coffee that they process. It also helps speed up the fermentation through the heat retained by the ceramic. This lot is the result of the production of 495 smallholders farmers who delivered their cherries to the mill. In the area, the most common type of soil is redbrown. This is a particularly fertile type of soil, rich in iron and with high acidity content.

This particular lot has been processed as a traditional natural from the cherry deliveries that constitute the second part of the harvest. Cherries were received and sorted with the help of a series of floatation tanks that separate all floaters (under ripe cherries) and immature cherries. During the process of flotation, the workers clean the cherry with fresh water.  They then place them on raised African drying beds for a period of 28 to 35 days.

If you enjoy coffees from Ethiopia, the world's fifth largest producer of coffee, we recommend you give our other Heirloom coffees like Aricha, a try!