Feature Filter: Lalesa (“Slow Dry” Natural) | Ethiopia

More about Lalesa & Ephtah Coffee:

Lalesa is the washing station where this coffee is processed, based in the Gedeb area of Guji Zone in southern Ethiopia, purchasing coffee from nearby small-holder growers. The station is run by Ephtah - a community focused exporter. Established by Wubit Bekele, Ephtah is committed to delivering outstanding quality coffee whilst improving the lives  within their communities, with particular focus on promoting the role of women as being the main drivers of positive social and economic change in Ethiopia.
As Ephtah explains:

The majority of low paying seasonal labour is provided by women but very few farms are women owned. In addition, those farms are often less productive as women have less access to resources – primarily inputs, finance, and training. Our approach has two main pillars:

1. Providing women with the skills and knowledge to enhance economic empowerment - Ephtah provides training programs around production and quality analysis to help improve women’s knowledge and confidence. This often leads to an improvement in their access to finance which can lead to dramatic improvements in their standard of living.

2. Strengthening women’s voice and participation in decision making and leadership - Ephtah helps to create safe spaces for women in the communities we source from. We collaborate with local groups to encourage women in the community to become involved in local decision-making processes and leadership positions. Ephtah further supports women through the AMA Commitment with initiative including diversifying sources of income and running daycare centre for growers’ children during harvest time.

Lalesa station is Ephtah’s key processing station and the largest one if the Gedeb region. It employs 20 permanent staff and boasts 350 drying beds. During harvest the station provides income to further 250 seasonal workers.

This particular lot is processed as a “slow dry” natural. The delivered cherries are initially floated to remove quakers, then placed on drying beds to dry under a purpose build greenhouse roof extending the drying process over 20 - 25 days. During the drying cherries are sorted for defects before the coffee is eventually de-husked and further sorted at the dry mill.

After an initial introduction to Ephtah’s coffee last year, we are delighted to have been able to purchase four different lots form this socially driven exporter this year. We’re delighted to be sharing this delicious special natural as a Feature Filter bringing all the berries and intense florals we all love in natural processed Ethiopian coffees.