NANO CHALLA

Producer: Smallholder producers
Cultivar: Metu Bishari Selection
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1900-2100m
Harvest: December – February
Notes: Strawberry, apricot, vanilla

ORIGIN

Ethiopia is an extraordinarily diverse coffee producing country and certainly the most complex in terms of genetic heritage. This is why Ethiopia is considered to be the birthplace of coffee, or more importantly the species Coffea Arabica, which has evolved into thousands of varieties. Coffee production is the country’s main source of foreign export income and it is estimated that onein four of the country’s population depend directly on coffee production.

As it has done for centuries, coffee grows wild and is cultivated under the shaded forest canopy that stretches to the east and west of the Great Rift Valley. Approximately 90% of Ethiopian coffee is still produced by smallholder producers who harvest the cherries and deliver them to their local washing stations for processing.

 

PRODUCER

When the Nano Challa Cooperative was established in 2004, it had only 25 members. Today, the cooperative has grown to approximately 400 members and enjoys a reputation for producing excellent coffees that consistently receive higher prices. In addition to coffee, the forest of Gera located in the western highlands is also known for the production of honey. Both coffee and honey production require a sustainable and ecological management of the forest resources, and help to diversify coffee producer income and the socioeconomic development of their communities.

Thanks also the work of the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC) and tireless work of agronomists like Getu Bekele, thousands of varieties have now been classified. The JARC has improved around 40 varieties which address issues such as resistance to coffee leaf rust, cup quality and yield. The Metu Bishari Selection includes these cultivars as well as regional Landrace varieties such as Kuburi, Bedessa, Yawan and Dalacha, amongst others.

 

ROAST
Roasting coffee from Ethiopia is always a huge privilege and this natural-processed lot from the Nano Challa Cooperative is no exception. Sourced through our friends at Kilamanjaro Specialty, we immediately fell in love with the complexity in the cup and have decided to roast this coffee for both espresso and filter preparation. Expect notes of strawberry, apricot and a hint of vanilla in the finish, complemented by a winey acidity and cane sugar sweetness in the cup.

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