Ethiopia - Girma Tamiru - Aricha

The high altitude and the natural anaerobic process intersect to make a wild and vibrant cup, with plenty of tropical layers.

THE REVIVAL OF ARICHA

The Aricha Coffee Washing Station is located about 5km from Yirgacheffe the capital of a district with the same name that is very well known for its coffee. In addition to an ideal climate and geography, the population has a strong connection with coffee production: here, it grows wild in the native forests, and families have been picking, selling and consuming it for centuries now.

Aricha was first established in 2000 back then, it was known as Adorsi. Despite ideal growing conditions, the management didn't seem to take off; within a decade, the site was almost abandoned.

In 2018, Faysel Abdosh from Testi Coffee acquired the station to revive the area, bring back value to the community and showcase the fantastic coffee growing in its surroundings. While technically not a cooperative, it works as such; producers from the Aricha, Reko, Gersi and Naga Singache neighbourhoods bring their cherries in, and those get processed and sold independently under each name.

Since Testi took over, they've contributed to local projects (like building a school and bringing electricity to producers homes). Also, they have put Aricha coffee back on the map: in 2019, just one year after reviving the station, four of their coffees made The Ethiopian Cup.