Badeyi Lot D, Mustefa Abakeno, Ethiopia | Natural MMY-0170

Mustefa Abakeno, a dedicated smallholder farmer in the Djimmah Zone of Western Ethiopia, manages an extensive 18-hectare coffee farm at an impressive elevation of 2,040 meters above sea level. His farm reflects Ethiopia's rich coffee heritage, featuring diverse coffee varieties sourced from the renowned Djimmah Research Center. Mustefa combines traditional and innovative processing methods to produce exceptional coffee beans. In the early stages of his journey, Mustefa invested in a three-disc coffee pulper, allowing him to process half of his harvest as fully washed coffees. The remaining harvest undergoes the natural process, with cherries carefully dried with the pulp intact. Due to water scarcity and limited fermentation space, the pulped coffee experiences a brief eight-hour fermentation before being skillfully transferred to drying beds. By contrast, the natural coffees enjoy a slower drying period, taking 24–27 days to reach ideal quality on African raised beds. Mustefa began exporting in 2018, thanks to regulatory changes that enabled him to connect directly with discerning buyers. To support this venture, he established the Beshasha washing station, a multi-use facility that processes both his coffee and that of local outgrowers—neighboring farmers who manage land parcels of 4 to 10 hectares. Mustefa's partnership with the Falcon team in Addis Ababa highlights the impact of direct relationships on coffee quality. This collaboration encompasses cherry selection, drying, and farm management, streamlining the supply chain to ensure that a larger share of proceeds benefits the producers directly.