Qonqa’na

The producers of our coffee are small farmers living in the Sidama region, near the village of Boreta. The Qonqa’na station, named after the river that crosses the area, is the central washing station of the Daye Bensa company and, in addition to the usual wet and dry processing, they also work with the semi-dry (aka honey) process, which is quite uncommon in Ethiopia: after handpicking, the cherries are sorted using the floating method, and then they are sent to a de-pulper machine, which removes the skin and part of the pulp from the seeds. The remaining, sticky, sugary mucilage-covered seeds are placed on raised beds and dried for about 2 weeks with regular turning. After drying, coffee is bagged and sent to the dry mill to be hulled and prepared for export. Ethiopian semi-dry coffees are close to the flavour profile of the wet-processed ones but with a slightly fuller body and extra sweetness.