Our second year purchasing from Bekele Belacho (also written as Belaycho or Belaychow - a quirk that there's no direct English transliteration from Amharic/the local Ethiopian languages), a third-generation farmer who operates drying stations across the Kokose and Bombe villages in Sidama. Bekele was among the first producers in his area to obtain direct export licensing in 2019, transitioning from cooperative sales to managing his own processing and export operation, and has swiftly shot to international fame for the quality of his coffee. We're stoked to bring it back for a second season Brew Guide: Best Brewed with: Filter Lightest Influence: We're roasting this preetty light - it's definitely a coffee to rest, but once it's had a bit of time to open up it's a delicate, floral berry bomb. Best Rested: 3-4 weeks (atleast) Filter: 64g/L, 96°C when fresh but when well rested you can go down to 92-93°C Espresso: 18g/45g/28-32s. Can also work as a turbo/soup We’re tasting: Intense floral and berry aromas - raspberry & honeysuckle. In the cup it's like eating a spoonful of blueberry jam, supported by fresh vanilla, lemon zest, buttery brioche, white raspberry, and pomegranate juice. As it cools the blueberry jamminess becomes more intense, with some hints cardamon & lavender Traceability Country of Origin: Ethiopia Region: Kokose village, Bensa woreda, Sidama Producer: Bekele Belacho (aka Belaychow/Belaycho) alongside local outgrowers Station: Bekele's Kokose station. Variety: Primarily JARC 74158 Elevation: 2250 MASL Process: Traditional Natural: Ripe cherries picked, floated and sorted.Dried on raised beds with temperature/shade control and continual hand sorting over 15-20 days Import Partner: Omwani via Mecota Trading Harvest Crop 24/25 - Arrived UK: 06/08/25. Second harvest pushing from Bekele The Story When Ethiopia passed legislation in 2017 allowing smallholders with two hectares or more to obtain export licenses, it created a watershed moment for producers like Bekele Belacho. Rather than being limited to selling cherry to local cooperatives, forward-thinking farmers could now process and export their own coffee, capturing more value from their production. Bekele has emerged as a de facto leader among Bensa's independent smallholder-exporters. Operating two drying stations in Bombe and Kokose, he not only processes coffee from his own farm but also works with over 100 neighbouring smallholders, creating a vital link to specialty markets for his community. His son Beleteno, a recent Hawassa University economics graduate, manages operations at their Hora Ganet farm (meaning "Spring Paradise"), making this a multi-generational family operation.Working with Mecota Trading has been key to making lots like this possible. Founded in 2023 by Moata Raya - who spent 15 years at TechnoServe developing infrastructure for Ethiopian producers, Mecota focuses on creating transparent, traceable routes to market for quality-focused smallholders. We've always been fans of smaller area separations from Ethiopia - while the larger blended lots from washing stations can show incredibly complex profiles, they're equally made up of diverse excellent smaller lots and pickings that might get washed out in the blend. Bekele's coffees are consistently excellent, and it's a pleasure to showcase single producer (and single variety lots) that have such excellent taste of provenance. We think this lot has all archetypal flavours of an Ethiopian natural, expressed elegantly. A banger to be sure.