Chrissy Zebby Tembo -My Ancestors
Mokonisa Bulga - Sidamo, Ethiopia
This delightfully floral and sweet coffee comes to us from a privately owned washing station called Mokonisa Bulga in the Dimtu area of Sidamo. The station buys cherry from almost 2000 small farmers growing local varieties on farms that are, on average, less than 2 ha. Mokonisa Bulga is owned by Israel Degfa, who also owns several other mills in Ethiopia and the exporting company Kershanshe Coffee. When we visited Ethiopia this past December, we got to spend a lot of time with Israel, visiting his washing stations and his dry mill in Addis. Israel radiates kindness and hospitality, not just to us, his guests, but also seemingly to all the folks that work for him. The care that he puts into his work really comes through in the cup—this coffee is full of florals, juicy melon and sweet pink lemonade.