This is part of our blog series bringing to life the organic coffees in our Nespresso® compatible Eco Coffee Pod Advent Calendar, featuring entirely plastic free and home compostable coffee pods.
Enjoy them all thanks to our new Organic Origin Selection Gift Box
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Our Ethiopian Forest Coffee Pod
This organic microlot coffee is slow and shade-grown by a 3rd generation coffee farming family under the canopy of ancient tree species.
- Region: Echemo - Ethiopia
- Altitude: 2100 m
- Environment: Highlands
- Arabica Varietal: Heirloom
- Harvest period: November to january
- Harvest type: Manual Process by hand
- Process: Fully washed and dried on ‘African Beds
Meet our grower Khalid Shifa
Khalid inherited this farm from his grandfather. At the time, it was a small coffee plantation created using wild coffee plants sourced from the Choché forest, which according to legend is the birthplace of Ethiopian coffee.
A young shepherd named Kaldi (not Khalid!) is said to have discovered the virtues of coffee in this forest. He noticed that his goats had boundless energy after feeding on its coffee bushes and, intrigued by the phenomenon, Kaldi went on to unlock the potential of coffee!
Khalid still has varieties sourced from the Choché forest at his farm, which he considers a heritage and takes special care of. His father has also managed these plantations all his life.
Today, Khalid and his brother put as much energy into their coffee farm as the previous generations did.
The family farm has grown and now extends over 35 hectares in the Jimma appellation at an altitude of 2,100 metres. It is situated in a rich environment with a biodiversity that Khalid and his brother are working to maintain.
They have set up a nursery for new coffee plants and have 25 African beds for drying coffee and 6 more reserved exclusively for the honey process.
When Khalid tells his story, it is easy to understand why the 30-year-old producer is so attached to the farm and to the coffee trees he’s grown up surrounded by. He remembers meandering between the coffee trees as a child, following his mother while she collected cherries.
He knows the land like the back of his hand and, because they were handed down to him, he says he treats his coffee plants as he would “his children”.
When you see the close attention that he pays to his farm and its exceptional environment, and the efforts he makes to constantly improve the quality of his production, it is clear that there is a strong connection between the man and his region. He hopes that his 3 children, currently living in and attending school at the small town near Agaro, will also be able to enjoy the same profession when they are older.
WHAT IS FOREST COFFEE?
Forest Coffee is grown under the canopy of endemic ancient tree species, free of any pesticides or fertilizers and nourished by natural elements that creates ultra-high-quality coffees.
Forest Coffees enjoy all the benefits of permaculture, where each living species serves a purpose for its neighbour rather than the ravages of monoculture - mass deforestation, soil and biodiversity depletion and water pollution.
The Forest coffee environment:
- TREE SPECIES PRESENT → 10 OR MORE
- NUMBER OF TREE LAYERS → MINIMUM 3
- MINIMUM SHADE → 40-60%
Far from the sun-drenched fields dedicated to intensive farming, we work with our green bean wholesaler Belco who for 10 years have been developing a supply chain of coffees produced in their ancestral home: the forests of Ethiopia.
As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia is therefore fantastically placed to create the world’s finest coffees as they once grew as wild crops and by doing so giving it economic value and supporting sustainable agricultural and farming practices.
The coffees also taste incredible so it’s a an all round fantastic scenario!