Jigesa, Ethiopia

Jigesa (named after the local village) is a privately-owned washing station located in the Shakisso district of the Guji zone. During harvest, freshly picked coffee cherry is delivered daily to Jigesa by around 850 independent coffee grower. The majority of these families farm organically on tiny plots of land, which average just 2–5 hectares in size. Coffee is their main cash crop and grows alongside food crops of corn, grain and bananas, under the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees. The average elevation of the farms in this region is very high – around 1,800–1,950m above sea level – and this, combined region’s cool temperatures for a slower maturation of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile.

Sidama is home to many landrace varieties that were originally selected from the forest and have been propagated successfully for decades. There are five popular varieties that are named after indigenous trees in the area— Bedessa, Kudhumi, Mique, Sawe and Wolisho. There is little documentation on the history of these varieties, and it is hard to know if they represent a single plant or a wider group of varieties; however, it is widely accepted that they play a major role in the quality and floral flavour profile of the coffee from this region. JARC varieties were developed using “mother trees” from Ethiopia’s coffee forests, and are now grown for disease and pest resistance, as well as exceptional cup profile.