Koke Gediyo, Ethiopia

This special-release coffee comes from the Koke kebele, a small community in Ethiopia’s Gedeo zone, where over 2,040 smallholders contribute their harvests to create this excellent lot. In Ethiopia, a kebele is equivalent to a neighbourhood, typically consisting of a cluster of villages within a town and often representing a tightly knit community of farmers working together.

Grown at 1,973 metres above sea level, the coffee owes its transformation to the meticulous processing at the Koke Shalaye washing station. This 2.5-hectare facility was established in 2019 by Abreham Mengiste and his wife, Meseret Workneh, who together founded Primrose Coffee Exporters. With over 20 years of experience in coffee production and export, the duo has built a reputation for excellence. The station earned recognition in its first year, receiving an AFCA Taste of Harvest award, a testament to its precision and care.

A blend of the 74110, 74112, and 74165 landrace varieties, this lot exemplifies the vibrant character Ethiopian coffee is renowned for. Harvest begins in November and can continue until February, when smallholders handpick cherries and deliver them to the Koke Shalaye station. At the station, the latest harvest lots will be prepared for processing.

Primrose has become well-regarded for its diverse portfolio of processing methods, each designed to bring out the coffee’s unique characteristics. These include fully washed, natural, anaerobic, honey, and carbonic maceration techniques. For honey-processed coffee, the level of mucilage left on the beans influences the flavour. Yellow honey retains 25% of the mucilage and dries in 7–10 days, while red honey keeps 50%, requiring 10–15 days. Black honey, with 80% mucilage intact, takes up to 21 days due to its higher moisture content. The coffee is dried on African beds, rotated by hand to ensure even drying. Once the beans reach a moisture level of 10–12%, they are stored with careful supervision throughout packing and logistics.

Final preparation takes place at a specialised mill in Addis Ababa, where advanced sorting machinery removes impurities, sorts beans by size and weight, and inspects for defects using colour-sorting technology. A final round of hand inspection ensures each batch meets Primrose’s rigorous quality standards. Even during peak seasons, the plant operates around the clock to maintain consistency, supported by backup power to prevent interruptions. With 60 permanent and 110 seasonal employees, Primrose ensures every step, from the washing station to export, reflects their commitment to excellence.