Awash River is a curated coffee sourced from smallholder farmers serviced by the river Awash in the Sidamo region of southern Ethiopia. These farmers rely on the great river and its many tributaries to cultivate coffee and sustain their communities.
The Awash carves through almost 750 miles of Ethiopia’s great rift valley, providing a vital water source for millions. Archaeologists believe humans have lived along the river since the dawn of man. Known as “the cradle of humankind”, the middle Awash is home to some of the most important archaeological discoveries in history, including perhaps the most famous hominid fossil ever found: “Lucy”.
In a poetic twist, Ethiopia is also the birthplace of the arabica coffee tree. As farmers started to harvest the wild forest coffee of Southern Ethiopia they in turn began to cultivate them on their own land. Nevertheless, wild coffee can still be found throughout Ethiopia and is represented by thousands of distinct varieties, many of which are still cultivated by farmers in Sidamo to this day.
Origin
Ethiopia
Subregion
Sidamo
Harvest Season
2021/22
Producer Type
Small Holder Farmers
Processing
Natural/Dry Processed
Plant Species
Arabica
Variety
Ethiopia Heirloom
Coffee Grade
ETH CA NAT SID G3
Bag Weight
60 KG BAG
The Region
The Sidamo and Yirgacheffe regions have developed a reputation for some of the most sought-after coffees in the world. With the river as a rich source of clean water; the combination of high altitude, fertile soils and abundant sunshine provides ideal conditions for arabica coffee cultivation. Heirloom arabica varietals, which still grow wild in Ethiopia, contribute to a beautifully unique cup profile typified by notes of tropical and stone fruit and light florals.
The Process
Ripe cherries are delivered to the wetmill for careful sorting and pulping, before fermentation for 36-48 hours, depending on the climactic conditions. After this point the parchment coffee is thoroughly washed and graded by bean density before being dried in the sun on raised African beds for 12 - 15 days (until the ideal moisture level has been reached). In the daytime the parchment needs to be raked and turned periodically to ensure a consistent drying process. The coffee is also covered between 12pm and 3pm to protect it from the hot sun, and at night time to protect it from rainfall and moisture. Once the coffee has dried to the right level it is transported to Addis Ababa for dry- milling, grading, intensive sorting and handpicking, before being bagged in GrainPro for export.