Beloya W.

The Beloya washing station is located in the Kochere district of the Yirgacheffe region, north of Chelelektu, about 45 km from Dilla, the administrative center of the Gedeo zone. The washing station has two processing units, which, thanks to their large capacity, can promptly process the coffee cherries of small producers, even in the peak season. The station has been in operation for 25 years, but it recently came under new owners, who are expanding and constantly improving it. A smallholder cultivates an area of less than 1 hectare on average, with up to 1500 trees. The coffee cherries arriving at the station are sorted by hand, de-pulped and then placed in fermentation tanks for 36-48 hours, depending on the weather conditions, where wild yeast strains and bacteria characteristic of the environment take care of the fermentation. Then the coffee beans are being washed and graded in channels followed by drying 12-15 days on raised beds.