GENJI CHALLA

Origin: Ethiopia, Jimma
Elevation: 2000 M.A.S.L.
Varietal: Mixed Heirloom
Process: Washed
Producer: Genji Challa (Nano Challa Cooperative)

Profile: Bergamot & Peach, Juicy & Vibrant

Genji Challa is a sister washing station to the famous Nano Challa (part of the Kata Muduga Cooperative Union), which was established in 2019, just a few miles away from the Nano Challa station, which was etsablished in 2004.

This station was born out of a need of more space, as the membership grew and volumes of cherry being delivered becoming too much for the capacity of the Nano Challa station alone. There are now over 600 members, split between the two sites, situated in the Ethiopian highlands, in natural forest.

This success and growth originates from the fortune Nano Challa being boosted in 2010, when they were chosen to be part of the Technoserve Coffee Initiative alongside other remote farming communities in Jimma, which was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Technoserve provides technical assistance and training to producer groups and helps coordinate agronomists and business advisors to help improve coffee quality, assist in the management of debt, reinvestment and the fair distribution of funds to each coop member.

The impact of the initiative was huge, as it helped coops like Nano Challa transition from natural processing to washed, via the building of washing stations. These allowed them to completely change the market and quality they had access to and the premiums of Grade 1 Ethiopian Specialty Coffees.

Farmer members cultivate coffees at altitudes between 1850-2100 m.a.s.l. and have around 3 hectares of land each on average.

As is the case across Ethiopia, most of the coffees grown locally are organic by default and consist mostly of old, naturally indigenous heirloom varieties, punctuated by smaller areas of an improved native varietal called 1274. 

At Genji Chala, coffee cherries are harvested by family members, then hand-sorted to the immature and overripe cherries, before they are delivered to the washing station at their respective collective site and delivery to the processing station.

Once producers deliver coffee to the washing station, cherries are floated before being depulped using a Penagos Eco Pulper. This machine removes skin, pulp and mucilage without the need to ferment the coffee.

The coffee is then soaked in clean water, in concrete tanks for 8 hours before drying; firstly skin-dried and sorted under shade, before being sun dried for approximately 10 days on raised African drying beds.