This coffee all begins with Asnake Bekele. Catalyst Trade began working with Asnake in 2014, and over the course of the relationship, there have been many leaps in processing innovation. During his time as manager of the Sidama Coffee Farmer’s Cooperative Union, he had the idea of adding some raised-bed naturals to their lineup. He was laughed at but persevered through the first season, and Sidama natural processed coffees are world-famous. Here’s what our friends at Catalyst have to say on their relationship with Asnake - “While Asnake’s career in Ethiopian coffee has spanned many high points, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with him on a number of projects which included groundbreaking processing work in Kochere and Gelana Abaya (together we introduced honey processing) as well as on a researched article which directly resulted in over $8 million USD being invested by the Ethiopian government into the Gedeo Zone to repair dozens of washing stations damaged in the 2017 riots. He also helped us organize several producer groups in various parts of Ethiopia as well as served as an incredibly wise Ethiopian coffee expert and resource to us. When he began his latest endeavor—partnering with outstanding Sidama single producers such as Belayneh Bariso—we were on board from the first moment, and in fact, we have the privilege of being his very first collaborative partner and of building this program with him. Belayneh Bariso is part of the producing group Asnake and his partner Aklilu Admassu has vertically integrated with. He’s focused on quality and on advancing the future of traceable, single-producer Ethiopian coffee. In a recent event co-hosted by Asnake’s company and Catalyst Trade, Belayneh spent two days with us learning details of advanced processing, financial management, and many other aspects of successful coffee production before taking to a boat to enjoy the bright sun and the hippo sightings on the Great Rift Valley Lake of Hawassa, where we held the retreat.