Farmers in Guji have ideal growing conditions and fertile soil to grow coffee. The land is beautifully forested with lush green lacing the hills and valleys as far as the eye can see. There are few cities in this remote area of southern Ethiopia, and most of the people are farmers, who intercrop coffee with food to maximize land use and provide food for families. Few inputs are needed, so the default here is organic growing methods.

Guji is blessed with many landrace varieties of indigenous coffee, which have grown naturally there for many, many years. In the past 20 years, this coffee has been making a name for itself, unmatched by its floral aroma, silky body, tea-like flavors, as well as peach and citrus notes. 

While there are some large coffee farms now popping up in this region, most farmers are smallholders and deliver their cherries to the nearest wet mill. This Guji lot comes from a washing station called Uraga run by Israel Degefa—supplied by about 2,400 farmers. (We had the opportunity to visit this station in 2018 with our import partner, Keffa Coffee.) It is pulped the day it is picked, then fermented underwater in concrete tanks. Due to the warm climate, the tanks are covered mid-day to keep the heat down from the direct sun. When the fermentation is complete, the coffee is washed and dried on raised beds for 10-14 days.