Description

Ethiopia is a huge country (as large as Spain and France combined), with great geographical diversity. It presents stark contrasts, ranging from the most inhospitable place on earth, the Danakil Depression, to the jungles of the southwest in Yirga Chefe. But if there is one geographical feature that defines Ethiopia, it is its altitude: from the plateaus in the center of the country to the mountains in the south, the average altitude above sea level is 1,330 meters. Yirgacheffe is, in theory, a microzone of Sidamo, between the cities of Dilla and Agere Maryam.

It was in this area that Mr. Hiwot, who worked for Besse & Co. in 1960, realized that in one of the mills located in the Yirgacheffe area, Melkalole, the coffees had unique characteristics: uniform size, bluish color, and a fruity cup like Sidamo, but with very characteristic floral and citrus notes and very high acidity. He therefore decided not to blend this coffee with other Sidamo coffees and began to market it separately. Subsequently, 20,000 hectares of coffee were planted in the area to try to replicate these characteristics, and the Yirgacheffe designation was created. However, as in the case of Sidamos, when it comes to commercial coffees, coffees are classified as Yirgacheffes if they have certain cup characteristics.

The Sidamo area is located in southern Ethiopia, on the border with Kenya and Somalia. Sidamo is the name of this rather mountainous territory, but also of the population that inhabits it and their language. Here, coffee grows spontaneously on the slopes of the hills or is cultivated in coffee gardens (small plots of land where each family also plants fruit trees and vegetables) or on larger plots, and is processed in washing stations scattered throughout the territory. In addition to being an important item in the local economy, it also plays a leading role in the social and cultural life of the area.