Ethiopia Organic Guji Benti Neka

Ethiopian Green Coffee | Benti Neka Washed

This bright Ethiopian green coffee from Benti Neka is rare in being certified organic. While most Ethiopian farmers naturally practice organic farming, few pursue the formal certification process.

Benti Neka, situated in West Guji, is a washing station specializing in washed coffee. Ripe, sorted cherries from farms at elevations of 1,900 to 2,200 masl are pulped in a disc pulper and fermented in cement tanks for 36 to 48 hours to remove mucilage. The pulped coffee is dried for seven to nine days. Once the parchment coffee reaches a moisture content of 10-12%, it is stored in labeled conditioning bins until ready for the dry mill.

Washed processing is widely popular as it allows the terroir of the coffee to shine through. This method highlights the growing conditions, region, and true character of the coffee. At Benti Neka, producers achieve a clean, bright cup profile like this G2 Ethiopian coffee with notes of honey, lemon & lime, and pear, and a tea-like character in its light body.

Traceability is a key focus at Benti Neka, where a voucher system is used to track each coffee lot throughout the production chain. This system ensures that every step, from the receiving station to the drying stage, is documented, tying the coffee back to the farmers who produced it.

Guji Green Coffee Beans
The Oromo people of the Guji region have their own unique origin story for the discovery of coffee, reflecting its deep cultural significance. According to their legend, instead of Kaldi the goatherder, the Oromo sky god Waaqa wept over the wrongful death of a loyal servant, and his tears brought forth a new plant from the earth. Since as early as the 10th century, coffee has been revered in Oromo culture as a special plant, with beans mixed with fats to provide energy on long journeys.

Centuries later, Guji farmers continue to follow traditional growing methods that enhance the region’s fertile soil. Many indigenous coffee varieties still thrive on Ethiopia’s coffee farms. Coffee is typically intercropped with maize, barley, wheat, beans, and other crops that sustain the farmers' families.

• Flavor: Honey, Lemon & Lime, Pear, Tea-like
• Body: Light