Chelba

In Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, people are busy harvesting coffee. Folks are busy picking red cherries off of native trees. Cooperatives are busy processing coffee and sorting through beans on raised drying beds. It’s really amazing how much work goes into the whole process.

When we first arrived at the Chelba cooperative, the manager greeted me with handshakes and smiles. He knew some English, which was really helpful since my Amharic is a little rusty….ok…it’s really rusty.

I learned that all of the coffee that Heart buys is processed with an eco-pulper; a very efficient machine that recycles the water it uses. I met with some of the people that sort through the parchment for quality. Although we could not speak the same language, we all shared some laughs. A coffee ceremony was enjoyed, where we ate popcorn & drank freshly roasted coffee.

This is the third year in a row that we will be buying coffee from the Chelba cooperative. We are looking forward to this year’s fresh crop!

Text and images by Josh Hydeman.