Basha Bekele Bombe

This natural Walega variety comes from Cup of Excellence Champion Basha Bekele and 100 registered out-growers from Bombe in Sidama. This is now our second year buying coffee from Basha. Once the ECX was liberalized, Basha obtained his own export license and now grows coffee (primarily 74158, known locally as "Walega") on 12 hectares of semi-forested plots. While cherry prices were high this year, Basha maintained an uncommon practice in Ethiopia: delivering a second payment to the producers he bought cherry from once the coffee was sold. Currently, Basha exclusively produces dry-processed coffee—including some white honeys and anaerobics— and practices cherry floatation, before slowly drying all his lots on raised beds.