Country
Ethiopia
Location
Gedeb, Chelbesa
Altitude (masl)
1950-2200 m.a.s.l.
Varieties
kurume, woleshu
Hailu Beketa is a coffee farmer from the Chelbesa region in Ethiopia, which is known for its high-quality coffee production in the Gedeb zone.
Hailu’s growing area is only 6 hectares and he utilizes naturally grown enset trees (called pseudo bananas or Ethiopian bananas) for shade. His cherries spend around 20 days on raised beds before being dried.
Chelbesa, is renowned for its semi-forest coffee farming systems where smallholder producers like Hailu grow heirloom varieties such as kurume and woleshu.
Farmers in this area often deliver their coffee cherries to washing stations, but Hailu processes and exports his own coffee independently, naturally with a natural process.
We visited Chelbesa during our 2024 Ethiopian sourcing trip and were treated to traditionally roasted and brewed coffee from a fresh harvest.