Bean History
Harvesting
Coffee farming in this region involves trees typically planted around homesteads or grown intensively on large farms. These trees thrive alongside indigenous shade trees such as Enset, Albizia, Acacia, Militia, and Polyscias. The harvest takes place from October to January, where the coffee is exclusively hand-picked to ensure only the red cherries are collected, allowing the green cherries the necessary time to reach full maturity.
Sorting & Processing
Following the harvest, a rigorous manual sorting process is conducted. The ripe cherries are carefully separated from the unripe ones by hand. This attention to detail ensures that only uniform, high-quality fruit enters the processing stage, which is fundamental to maintaining the specific flavor characteristics of the Sidamo G-4 profile.
Drying
Sun drying remains the preferred technique, utilizing a system of raised beds to ensure proper airflow. The total drying duration ranges from 12 to 15 days, a process heavily influenced by atmospheric conditions such as wind, cloud cover, and sunlight. The beans are monitored until they reach the ideal moisture content of 10–12%. Once dried, the coffee is stored in well-ventilated, leak-proof, and vermin-free conditioning bins to preserve its quality.
