Feature Espresso: Bookkisa | Ethiopia
Key origin info:
Producer: Smallholder growers, based around the Bookkisa locality within West Guji Zone
Processed at: Bookkisa drying station owned and managed by Sookoo Coffee
Region: West Guji, Oromia
Altitude: around 2000 masl
Variety: Local cultivated landrace varieties
Process: Natural, sun-dried on raised beds
Exporter: Sookoo Coffee | Importer: Osito
Cup profile: Jammy body, strawberry & nectarine
Purchase history: 3 seasons (2021,2022 via Falcon, 2024 via Osito)
More about Bookkisa & Sookoo Coffee:
This lot has been cultivated and harvested by small-holder farmers within the Bookkisa hamlet of West Guji Zone within the larger Oromia region.
Natural processed coffee cherries drying on raised beds with a traditional Ethiopian brewing vessel. Photo courtesy of Sookoo Coffee.
Ture Waji - co-founder of Sookoo Coffee. Photo courtesy of Osito.
As is common in Ethiopia, and many other African coffee producing countries, growers harvest the coffee cherry which they sell to a nearby washing or processing station. In this case the processing station is owned and operated by Sookoo Coffee - a processing and exporting company led by Ture Waji. Ture is a driven young entrepreneur with strong connections to the land, its community and farmers, famously known in the region as ‘The King of Guji’. He has lived and worked in the region his entire life. Previously working as Quality Specialist and Manager at the Mormora Estate and Guji Highlands Coffee Company, he became renowned as one of the most skilled producers of natural processed Ethiopian coffees. In 2018, along with his partners Eegata Alaka and Fedhasa Wodessahe they founded a new venture - Sookoo Coffee.
Sookoo focus predominantly on producing naturally processed coffees (thought they have also recently produced some washed coffees) with cherry sourced from the surrounding kebeles. Each lot is named after the kebele (small locality) from which the cherry comes (e.g. Shoondhisa, Bookkisa, Daannisa etc). The cherries are dried at a centralised location on raised beds for around 15-20 days in very thin layers. They are moved and rotated frequently to ensure even and precise drying. When drying is complete, the coffee is rested in jute bags before undergoing multiple rounds of hand and optical sorting to remove defective beans.
Ethiopian coffee production - coffee trees growing under a forest canopy. Photo courtesy of Sookoo Coffee.
As well as operating drying stations Ture and the team spend time between harvests providing education to growers, training them in good agricultural and harvesting practices.
Since having the pleasure of roasting Daanisa and Bookkisa a couple of years ago, both produced by Sookoo Coffee, we were excited to be able to purchase some more delicious natural lots from the Guji area from Sookoo via a new to us value. driven import partner - Osito. You can expect all the fruity florals and sweetness reminding us of strawberry jam and nectarines. It’s a delight!