Etiopía Bochesa
Washing station
The Bochesa washing station is located in Bochesa Kebele, within Arbegona Wereda, in the Sidama region of Ethiopia, at an altitude of between 2,000 and 2,100 metres. The station was established in 2022 on 1.5 hectares of land and, despite being a relatively young project, continues to grow, with new infrastructure aimed at improving its facilities and processing capacity.
Bochesa works with 823 smallholder farmers from nearby communities, who mainly grow the 7454, 74110, 7440 and 74112 varieties. Each year, between 500 and 600 tonnes of coffee cherries are processed, and during the harvest season, the station provides employment for more than 200 temporary workers, in addition to its permanent and seasonal staff.
The project aims to ensure that its growth also has a positive impact on the community. The station distributes coffee seedlings to local farmers and provides financial support. At the same time, it is developing new infrastructure, including groundwater wells, drying facilities, expanded facilities and solar drying tunnels.
Water management is also an important part of Bochesa’s operations. During processing, efforts are made to reduce water consumption, separate coffee pulp from wastewater, and treat the wastewater before returning it to the environment. All of this is part of a project that aims to combine quality, growth and a more sustainable relationship with farmers and the surrounding area.
Process Method
This lot has been processed using the washed method. Upon arrival at the station, the coffee cherries are carefully cleaned to remove leaves, stones and other foreign matter. They are then washed with water before being sent for pulping.
Once the skin and pulp have been removed, the beans are placed in fermentation tanks filled with water for 12 to 16 hours under controlled temperature conditions, with the aim of removing the mucilage. Once fermentation is complete, the coffee is washed again with clean water.
The beans are then transferred to raised drying beds, where they are dried for approximately 10 to 14 days. During the day, they are turned regularly to ensure even drying and covered during the hottest hours and at night.
Once the appropriate moisture level has been reached, the parchment coffee is packed and rested for approximately 20 days. The lots are kept separate until the coffee is cupped and evaluated before being prepared for export.
Origin
When we venture into the world of washed coffees from southern Ethiopia — with Yirgacheffe and Sidama being the best-known names — we enter a unique sensory world, quite different from what most coffee drinkers are accustomed to. These coffees, largely grown from indigenous Arabica varieties that are extremely rare almost everywhere else in the world, display intense and often extravagant aromatic profiles: lemon, bergamot, flowers, cocoa and fruits with bright acidity.
Located in southern Ethiopia, the Yirgacheffe region produces high-quality coffee and is also known as the “Champagne region of the coffee world”. It offers ideal growing conditions for outstanding coffee: just the right amount of rainfall and fertile soil that absorbs all the essential minerals. Local people rarely dare to use the main road, especially during the rainy season, as muddy slopes can prevent them from leaving their misty valley. It is as though beauty and danger are inseparable.
Yirgacheffe is both the name of a town and a designation of coffee quality.
The endemic varieties form a wild and mysterious blend of indigenous varieties with wildflower notes. Each area or village has its own flavour profile, shaped over many years by growing conditions such as soil, altitude and climate. These profiles form the basis of the classification system for Ethiopian coffees, including Sidamo, Harrar, Limu and Djimmah, among others. It is widely argued that a Yirgacheffe-grade coffee can offer one of the most distinctive flavour profiles in the world, with a powerful floral aroma and an intense citrus taste.
The Gedeo zone takes its name from the Gedeo people, whose lands lie within this territory. It extends south of Sidama as a narrow strip of land along the eastern slopes of the Ethiopian Highlands, in the Oromia region.
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