Ethiopia’s Sidamo region is one of the best-known coffee-growing areas in the world. Like the rest of Ethiopia, it’s divided into several woredas (districts) and kebeles (communities) with washing stations throughout—each offering unique terroir. The Chire woreda is one of them, and within it lies the Abaya Taka kebele.

To get to Chire we have to fly to the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, then take a local flight to Hawassa. We drive 3 hours via dirt road to Bensa, then another 4 hours to Chire. This last leg is 4 especially difficult hours as the road narrows into a winding mountain pass wide enough for a single car. In the rainy season, the journey becomes even slower and more complicated (although Ethiopia’s government is working on a highway that will shorten the trip by an hour). In Chire woreda lies the central washing station.

Chire lies within a valley in a very mountainous area of Sidamo with kebeles throughout. This mountain chain can reach 3,000 meters above sea level. There are access roads to get to the farms. Travel time for producers throughout Chire is often the same walking (typically transporting coffee via mule) or going by truck: approximately 1 hour.

In the Chire washing station, the coffee is sundried in cherry on raised beds for 15 to 21 days, with frequent turning for even drying. Our partnerships here are notorious for meticulous natural processing (drying the coffee in cherry and then removing the cherry, as opposed to washing the fruit off then drying the coffee in parchment). The natural process is difficult to execute well: beans need to be turned frequently for consistent and even drying. It’s easy to end up with mold issues or an excess of fermentation flavor, or at the very least achieve an acceptable cup but overpower the natural terroir of the coffee (the unique flavor that comes from variety, soil, proper harvest, and clean processing). But, when done right, the results can be sublime, with the natural terroir of the coffee further enhanced by an additional injection of sweetness and high-impact fruit flavor.

The people of Chire belong to the Sidamo culture and speak various dialects of the Sidamo language. They maintain ancient traditions, like their round housing structures which are identical to those used in this area 10,000 years ago, or family campfire gatherings at the end of each day. Many of the families in the area do not have electricity or clean water, so the local rivers are their main water source. Chire producers are near the forest and have retained many of the original indigenous coffee varieties, which bring the heat with small beans and intense, diverse flavor.

Coffee is the main income source for Chire producers, grown on very small farms ranging from 0.1 hectares to 2 hectares. They usually intercrop with false banana trees as shade. Fertilization in this area is rare.

Until a few years ago, the people of Chire used to grow only coffee and subsistence crops, but due to low or unreliable coffee prices and the high care needs that come with them, many in the area began to replace coffee with eucalyptus and khat (a commonly used stimulant in Africa). Unfortunately, these crops are harmful to the environment due to their large consumption of water, which depletes the water table. Coffee, on the other hand, is native to the forests of Ethiopia and can have a forest-protective effect.

Much of the traditional coffee-specific knowledge is being lost as coffee cultivation becomes marginalized for khat and eucalyptus. These newer, non-native crops grow independently and don’t need the same kind of agricultural management coffee requires, despite their disruption of the native environment. That ease is attractive and profitable for the young people of the area, who often end up replacing all the coffee on their farms if they aren’t selling their farms entirely.

Ethiopia’s endeavor to pave the roads from Bensa to Chire is positive in that the area’s farmers will gain freedom of movement, but at the same time it brings drawbacks for the forest. One likely threat is the deforestation of the areas immediately surrounding the roads so that many can plant eucalyptus trees closer to the access road.

There are still producers in Chire who value coffee and want to preserve their ancient agricultural knowledge for generations to come. Those in the area who want to persevere in coffee find enthusiastic buyers for their elite product. This market access is crucial for the survival of coffee in Bensa and probably one of the few factors that limits the destructive production of khat and eucalyptus in the area.