Ethiopia Sidamo Organic G1 Washed - Shefina

Apricot, juicy, lemon-lime, sweet, long finish

TOP LOT

Bag Weight	60 KG BAG
Harvest Season	2025/26
Status	ETA Jun 2026
Lot Number	P614943-2

Alameda, CA: 211 Bag(s)

Skip to the end of the images gallery

Skip to the beginning of the images gallery

About This Coffee

Located in the highlands of Sidama, Shefina Washing Station receives cherry from hundreds of smallholder producers farming less than two hectares each. The region’s fertile soils, cool climate, and elevation contribute to slow cherry maturation, resulting in the complex cup profiles typical of Ethiopia’s heirloom varieties. Cherries are selectively handpicked at peak ripeness and delivered for same-day processing. Careful pulping is followed by 12–48 hours of fermentation, adjusted to local conditions, before thorough washing in clean channels. Drying takes place on raised African beds for 7–14 days, promoting even airflow and consistent moisture reduction. Farming is largely organic-by-default, with minimal chemical input, allowing the natural terroir to shine through.

Country of Origin	Ethiopia
Region	Sidama
Producer Type	Washing Station
Farm Name	Various producers
Processing	Natural/Dry Processed
Processing Description	12-48hr fermentation, sun-dried on raised beds
Growing Altitude	1800m - 2200m

Harvest Season	2025/26
Bag Weight	60 KG BAG
Bag Type	Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species	Arabica
Variety	Ethiopia Heirloom
Certifications	Organic Certified NOP

History of Coffee in Ethiopia

Coffee is ancient in Ethiopia, but coffee farming is not. By the end of the 9th Century coffee was actively being cultivated in Ethiopia as food, but probably not as a beverage. It was the Arab world that developed brewing. Even as coffee became an export for Ethiopia in the late 1800’s, Ethiopian coffee was the result of gathering rather than agricultural practices. A hundred years ago, plantations, mostly in Harar, were still the exception, while “Kaffa” coffee from the southwest was still harvested wild. In 1935, William Ukers wrote: “Wild coffee is also known as Kaffa coffee, from one of the districts where it grows most abundantly in a state of nature. The trees grow in such profusion that the possible supply, at a minimum of labor in gathering, is practically unlimited. It is said that in south-western Abyssinia there are immense forests of it that have never been encroached upon except at the outskirts.”

Growing Coffee in Ethiopia

As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia is home to more species of coffee plants than any place on earth, much of it still growing wild, and much of it still undiscovered. All Ethiopian coffee is Arabica and at least 150 varieties are commercially cultivated. Traditionally, these have simply been labelled as “heirloom varietals”; however, this is changing as the Jimma Agricultural Research Center works to identify species. Although there are a few estates in Ethiopia, 95% of coffee is grown by small land holders in a wide variety of environments, including “coffee forests” where coffee grows wild and is harvested by the local people. All specialty grade Ethiopian Coffee is grown above 4,000 feet and most above 6,000. In the highlands of Sidamo and Yirgacheffe, coffee can grow above 7,000 feet.