Ethiopia – Rogicha

The Rogicha washing station is nestled in the mountainous
and rugged terrain of southern Ethiopia’s Guji Zone. Going
back centuries, Guji’s fertile land, sky high altitudes, and
favorable climate has nurtured the cultivation of exceptional
coffee. As legend has it, it was in the Ethiopian mountains that
a sheep herder first discovered the magic of coffee. Today, the
dynamic producers at Rogicha are combining Guji’s
traditional heritage with innovative supply chain structures
and modernized processing methods. Although most of
Ethiopia’s coffee is purchased and sold through the Ethiopian
Coffee Exchange, we are excited to be building direct supply
chains with the farmers from the Wate washing station. This
supply chain allows us to build partnerships directly with
producers and to engage with producers during the pre
harvest and processing phases to source specific coffees. It is a
great way to support producers and value the uniqueness of
each lot of coffee.

Each of the members of the Rogicha washing station picks
cherries on his/her respective farm and brings the cherries to a
centralized wet mill for processing. As an organization, the
washing station implements protocols and parameters to
ensure that the coffee cherries being picked are at optimal
maturity. Once the cherries are picked, they are floated in
water to remove the lower-density cherries, and then they are
sorted by a brand-new wet mill.

The cherries are then de-pulped, fermented in tanks with
water, and then washed before they are finally dried on raised
beds until the moisture content reaches 11%. By slowly drying
on raised beds, the coffee benefits from having continuous,
delicate airflow, allowing it to dry evenly throughout.