Loading

Masha WASHED - Sheka, ethiopia

Quick Facts

Producer: Haile Gebrselassie

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Masha District, Sheka Zone

Elevation: 1,680 - 1,875 m.a.s.l.

Varieties: 80% Bishari (74110, 74112 75112) 20% Washi (744, 7454) & Gera (75227)

Harvest: September - January

Process: Washed

Overview

Haile Gebrselassie was born in 1973 into a farming family in the Arsi region of Ethiopia. He came from a family of subsistence farmers; Haile was one of ten children. As a young boy he fetched water from the local river a few miles away. His mother died when he was just seven years old. Forty years later, Haile is in the thick of a fast-paced life far removed from his childhood days.

Having retired from a 25-year career as one of the world’s most successful distance runners where he won two Olympic titles, seven world titles, and broke 27 world records, Haile is now working on a range of businesses which provide employment to several thousand workers across Ethiopia. He has always nurtured an ambition to grow coffee, a drink at the heart of Ethiopian culture that enjoys almost sacred status.

Coffee was first grown on the farm in Masha in 2014 after 1,500 hectares were secured in 2012. The planting was phased over 4 years with each yield producing increasingly good yields. Manual practices were used for land preparation (slashing, thinning out shade areas, removing trash), harvesting and processing. The farm is managed by an Estate Manager with separate divisions for coffee, spices and honey.

Haile Coffee has constructed 18km of asphalt road linking the farm to the community in Yeppo Village and Masha town. A primary school has been built for the children of the local community. 250 hectares of the coffee estate have been reserved for conservation purposes. The farm has Organic and Rainforest Alliance certification.

Flavor Notes

Red Berries, Floral, Orange, Dark Chocolate

Processing Information

Washed

Coffee cherries are taken to the wet mill and on the same day they pass through a depulper and soak overnight. The coffee beans are laid out to dry on a raised bed. Sometimes, depending on the weather, they are dried mechanically. The washed and natural coffee beans are stored separately.

Regional Informaton

Masha, Sheka, Ethiopia

The southwestern Ethiopian town of Masha is ideal for growing coffee with its high-quality Nitisol soil types, rich vegetation, and gentle topography. Situated within the UNESCO biosphere reserve of the Sheka zone at an altitude of 1,680-1,875m, Haile's estate has an exquisite air quality and one of highest rainfalls (1,800-2,200mm) in Ethiopia. The estate is bordered by rivers on three sides and its dense forest areas ensure that the area is rich in biodiversity.

Credits:

Photos & information courtesy of Haile Coffee