Drop Coffees - Anasora Natural, Ethiopia
Colour: Blue
Category: Adventurous
Farm: Ana Sora
Producer: Israel Degfa
Varietal: The varietal planted is 11/714 which is a hybrid of local landrace
Processing: Natural. The natural process means that the beans are left to dry in the cherry after it is picked. Whole, ripe cherries are then dried in the sunshine on raised African drying beds, which are laid out on hessian cloths for 30 days + depending on the weather conditions. The cherries are covered with plastic or shade nets during the midday heat and at night.
Harvested: December 2021-January 2022
Area: Guji zone
Nearest town: Yirgacheffe
Founding year: 2013
Altitude: 1900 – 2350 masl
Price transparency: The FOB price for this coffee was 4,95 US$/lb
Roast style: Light to medium to enhance the natural sweetness of the coffee.
This is for sure the highest grown coffee we have. Ana Sora is located in the famous Guji region in Yirgalem, on no less than 2350 masl. The extreme altitude contributes to the acidity in the coffee, but also the sweetness in the coffee for the longer drying time. Drop Coffee has been working for six years with Ana Sora and Israel Degfa. We have seen the procession being built and developed. And off all the process stations we have seen in Ethiopia, Ana Sora is the most advanced and quality-focused one. And you can truly taste it in the cup.
About Ana Sora
Most coffee in Ethiopia comes from cooperatives, not private farms. Working with Israels' private farms makes it easier to maintain our relationships and keep in contact with the producer.
Up at 2350masl, it is difficult to take the picked coffee to another processing station, so Isreal took it upon himself to build their own washing station as well as drying beds, all the way up at Ana Sora. This coffee might be the highest processed coffee you ever have. Turo is a river that runs along the side of Ana Sora, and where they get their processing water from.
Sustainability
The surrounding land of Ana Sora is populated by smallholder farmers who are of Oromo ethnicity and speak mainly Oromo. Israel believes in helping those farmers with education in husbandry and financial assistance. The surrounding farmers delivering to Ana Sora is being paid by cash and all of the payments are logged in the books. To pay cash they have a security house on the farm for all of the money.
Nearby Ana Sora there is a school called Yerba Buleye, which works with the farm to teach the children how to work and farm coffee. Israel also supports an orphanage school in the neighbouring village.
Installing and building 18 fermentation tanks, steady drying tables and pulping process creates a lot of work for people in the Ana Sora area. All of the workers are registered and covered by the rainforest certification.
The FOB price for this coffee was 4,95 US$/lb.
About Israel Degfa
This private farm is owned by Israel Degfa, a second-generation coffee grower from Ethiopia and someone who has become a good friend of ours. We share values and support Israel’s vision of getting people in Ethiopia out of poverty through coffee.
Israel was born on a coffee farm near Sidamo, Yirgalem, and his parents were both in coffee in different ways. His mum sold coffee at the bus station and his dad was a farmer. This is where he found his love for coffee. He studied primary school in Yiralem and went to high school and college in Addis Abeba.
In 2013 Israel founded the company by Kerchanshe trading company that is named after the nearest town, Kerchanste town (fondly referred to as Kercha). Today he has about 21 washing stations and a few dry-mills. Add to that, the guy is 32 years old and only had the business for 6 years.
Israel visited us the first year in 2015. Before we were working together, he was the one looking after me, Joanna, when I got sick on a buying trip in Ethiopia, and the rest is history. From that, we have worked together and visited each other every year. With Israel having a private estate it is making it easy to build a close relationship, but also as we share many ideas about sustainability. To say the least, Israel is standing up for the local society and sustainable income for the farmers. I have trust in Israel and his working model and am extraordinarily proud to work with him.