We first tasted Mr. Tesfaye’s coffee in early 2024 and fell for its pronounced bright character. This year, the coffee is undoubtedly of an equally high standard.Tsegay Hagos Tesfaye founded the Sasaba Washing Station exactly 20 years ago, in 2025 and remains the owner to this day. Located in Guji, in the Kercha district, Tesfaye works with over 500 smallholder producers from the nearby region, all of whom are located at an altitude above 2000 masl. It is this exceptional altitude and the fertile hills and climate of Kercha that contribute to the highly qualitative cup profiles of the coffees grown here. Mr. Tesfaye emphasizes that the relationship between the Washing Station and the producers is one of co-dependence. The team at Sasaba helps producers harvest great coffees year after year through training and financial or medical aid, which then results in more and more producers delivering coffee of high quality to the Washing Station. Cherries are picked at the farms when fully ripe and brought to the Washing Station where they are collectively fermented for 48 to 72 hours before being laid out to slowly dry on raised beds for 7 to 8 days, depending on the weather conditions. Afterwards the beans are transported to Addis Ababa in their parchment form, to be further rested and processed in warehouses before sale and final export. 

If it weren’t for initiatives such as Sasaba Washing Station, (smallholder) producers would be forced to sell their product to local traders at far too low rates. More washing stations and correct export trading companies are founded every year, creating awareness and visibility to this economic exploitative imbalance regional producers have to cope with. At MOK COFFEE we will always work with coffees that are completely traceable from roastery to origin.

This coffee is sourced through our importing partner TRABOCCA.