Kolla
ETHIOPIA
producers: local smallholders
region: Gera, Jimma
elevation: 2100 m
species and varietal: arabica, indigenous heirloom
processing method: honey
fermentation: spontaneous
Telila Kolla washing station receives cherry from coffee-producing communities across Gera, Jimma in Ethiopia. This lot came from small producers in Kolla, a nearby kebele. The region of Jimma is well known for its essential role in Ethiopian coffee. Home to the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC) since the 1960s, JARC has worked to develop resistant and tasty varieties for the Ethiopian coffee industry and provide the agricultural extension training needed to cultivate them. Although Jimma is the politically defined name for the region, the name Limu is used to describe the region’s coffee flavour profile found in both Jimma and the neighbouring zone of Illubabor: noted for being a clean cup with a subtle citric acidity. Most farms in Limu are semi-forest systems, typically under 1 hectare. Farmers selectively handpick cherry and most deliver their cherry to the Telila washing station.