About The Producer Harvested at the peak of ripeness, this coffee comes to us from the Chelbessa washing station, the higher altitude washing station in Worka Chelbessa, Ethiopia. Chelbessa is one of the largest Kebeles (towns) in Gedeb, a county tucked within the renowned Gedeb region. The Chelbessa Washing Station is run by our friends at SNAP, an Ethiopian exporter devoted to quality, traceability, and equity for small scale producers. They partner with some 486 smallholder farmers in and around Chelbessa to sort, process, and export their coffees at a number of small, private washing stations. This agricultural community’s dedication to their craft is apparent when you sift through the cherries at harvest, revealing an almost unblemished crop. The Gedeo zone is broken down into six different Woredas (counties). These micro-regions are like appellations in wine––each known for their own distinctive flavor palate. Gedeb is one of the more celebrated of these counties, and coffees from the area carry a refined take on the region’s iconic floral and fruit profile. While all of the coffee from the region is remarkable, the higher altitude lots we’ve identified rise above the rest. About the Coffee This care in cultivation is matched by the attention brought to processing. Farmers are asked to bring exclusively ripe cherries to the washing station, expressing a level of sweetness and complexity that you will not find without such detailed picking. The coffee is pulped to remove the skin and fruit of the cherries to reveal the coffee seeds before submerging them underwater for a 48 hour fermentation process. This extended underwater fermentation slightly germinates the seeds, a process unique to Ethiopia. After soaking, the coffee is carefully dried on raised beds for a few weeks to ensure a slow and even drying which creates a coffee that will retain its unique complexity before it is roasted.