Desta Gola is a farmer we had the pleasure of meeting during the 2018 coffee harvest at Adame Gorbota, a large cooperative in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. We have been purchasing coffee from this co-op for many years but our goal in 2018 was to increase traceability, transparency, and quality by identifying farmers with whom we could purchase from directly. This direct partnership would mean our consumers could follow their dollar back to the producer to witness a measurable improvement in quality of life. Last year, Desta Gola told us that, “for the first time, my family is earning enough to be able to send all our children to school including my oldest daughter who is studying nursing at the University.” Desta Gola produced 60 bags of coffee this year from his 5-acre plot outside the village of Wenago. We had the opportunity to purchase his entire production for the year directly and even helped him secure an exporter license outside of his cooperative. By selling directly to Olympia Coffee and exporting it himself, rather than contributing to his Cooperative, he was able to earn 25% more for the same coffee production. Gola’s coffee exemplifies what we love about Ethiopian coffee and the industry-leading people that we have the honor of working with there as a part of our Fair for All sourcing model.