Hailu Beketa Natural

This coffee is elegant and mild with notes of citrus and fruit. It has a floral aroma and reminds us of black tea. The process has added complexity to the cup, but also left it with the clear traits of a pleasant Ethiopian coffee.

The natural process involves drying the coffee cherries whole, sometimes for multiple weeks, with the fruit and pulp still attached to the bean. This method allows the coffee to absorb the sugars from the fruit, often resulting in a complex but sweet and fruity cup.

Hailu Beketa is a renowned coffee farmer from the Chelbesa region in Ethiopia, known for his exceptional coffee production in the Gedeb zone. His 6-hectare farm, naturally shaded by enset trees, a type of banana tree, allows the coffee cherries to dry on raised beds for approximately 20 days. Chelbesa is well-known for its semi-forest coffee farming systems, where smallholder farmers like Hailu grow heirloom varietals such as Kurume and Woleshu. Unlike many other farmers who send their cherries to washing stations, Hailu processes and exports his coffee independently using the natural method.