Getachew Zekele moved from Addis Ababa to Guji with his family in the early 2000s and witnessed how the Guji coffee transformation took place with his young eyes. Respect for the crop is deeply embedded in the Guji culture and coffee is embraced in many rituals and ceremonies throughout the region. Getachew took this respect and love with him to Addis, to get a degree in economics and later returned to Guji to create his own washing and hulling station in Dimtu Tero. To this day, he sources from 416 different producers in the Tero region - good for 989 hectares in the region. He maintains a good reciprocal relationship with every single producer and everything is officially contracted. He pays for their certifications, provides training and seedlings and promotes their coffee at premium prices, while in exchange he expects full attendance at trainings and a willingness to remain high sustainable and organic standards. In the end, everyone benefits. In 2016 he also bought his own coffee farm, Dimtu Plantation, good for 151 hectares of semi-forestation, nearly indistinguishable from the forests that surround it. Here, he currently grows the two “local heirloom” varieties 74110 and 74112. The region’s exceptional altitude, 1808-2128 masl, gives the cherries their exceptionally complex character.

This coffee was sourced through our importing partner Trabocca.