Hadeso is a privately-owned washing station that is located in the Shakisso woreda in Ethiopia’s Guji zone. The washing station is named after the nearby kebele of Hadeso, and is one of twenty owned and managed by Testi Coffee, a family-owned company founded by Mr Faysel A. Yonis.

Sitting at 1,850m above sea level, Hadeso produces exceptional washed and natural processed lots. The washing station was established in 2017, and currently employs eight permanent staff and 250 seasonal workers. During harvest, freshly picked coffee cherry is delivered daily by some 500 independent outgrowers from the nearby kebele of Dambi Uddo and a collection point in Addis.

The majority of the families that contribute to this lot farm organically on tiny plots of land, which average just 2 hectares in size. Coffee is their main cash crop and grows alongside food crops of corn, grain and bananas, under the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees. The average elevation of the farms in this region is very high – around 1,900–2,050m above sea level – and this, combined region’s cool temperatures, is ideal for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile.

This coffee lot was produced as part of Testi’s quality improvement initiative, Premium Cherry Selection (PCS). Launched in 2018, the Premium Cherry Selection program ensures that best practices are used for growing, harvesting and processing the coffee cherry. Through the program, Testi pay a premium to farmers who pick and deliver only the ripest cherries from their farms. Coffees produced as part of the program represent the highest quality and cleanest cup profile available from the washing station and wider region.

Responsibly sourced by the excellent team at Melbourne Coffee Merchants.