Meet the producer
The Gigesa Washing Station was established in 2014 by Faysel Adham Yonis, an Ethiopian entrepreneur and coffee professional who understands the value of careful processing in preserving the unique and attractive flavors and aromas of Ethiopian coffees. Gigesa Washing Station is located in the Danbi Uddo kebele—or town—in the Shakiso district of Guji Zone in the Oromia region.
There are 850 member producers, owning farms 2-5 hectares in size at elevations between 1800 and 1950 meters above sea level, who contribute cherries to Gigesa. The mill produces washed and natural coffees. Natural coffees are dried for 15-18 days on raised beds where they are turned regularly to expose the sun equally to all sides.
There are two lagoons and areas planted with Vetiver grass to treat wastewater from washed coffees. For both processes, cherries are hand sorted for ripeness and passed through in a floatation tank to ensure uniformity and quality. The land around Gigesa ranges from hilly to mountainous to flat - a terroir as diverse as its coffee! The Gigesa Washing Station produces roughly 15 containers each year.
The Gigesa Washing Station was built in 2014. This is Testi’s first washing in Guji. This washing station processes both washed and natural specialty coffee. The Gigesa washed and natural is truly exceptional coffee with a unique profile and character.
STEP 1: From the Farmer
The Gigesa Washing Station was established in 2014 by Faysel Adham Yonis, an Ethiopian entrepreneur and coffee professional who understands the value of careful processing in preserving the unique and attractive flavors and aromas of Ethiopian coffees. Gigesa Washing Station is located in the Danbi Uddo kebele—or—town in the Shakiso district of Guji Zone in the Oromia region.
- GPS Coordinates: 6 33’17”N 38 50’51”E
- Region: Danbi Uddo Kebele, in the Shakiso district of Guji Zone, in the Oromia region.
- Altitude: 1950masl
- Soil: Clay, loamy, volcanic rift
- Varietal: Heirloom Local Variety #47110 74112
Step 2: To the Producer
There are 850 member producers, owning farms 2-5 hectares in size at elevations between 1800 and 1950 meters above sea level, who contribute cherries to Gigesa. The Gigesa Washing Station Mill produces washed and natural coffees. Natural coffees are dried for 15-18 days on raised beds where they are turned regularly to expose the sun equally to all sides.
- Harvest Season: October–April
- Process: Sun-Dried
Step 3: To the Market
Because this is a Farm Gate coffee, like our Colombian Coffee, it went straight from the producer directly to the exporter.
We're excited about this coffee because it does not represent the majority of coffee value chains. It's important that we highlight that this is a Farm Gate Coffee, which is the most direct form of traceability. Few farmers have taken the road less traveled and been very particular about the purity of the coffee grown and processed on their farms, thereafter trading it directly to roasters who care as much as they do about consistency in flavors.
Stori Coffee is the market—we cupped it, evaluated it, approved to purchase it, then worked with an exporter to get our coffee to the USA.
Step 4: To the Exporter
Exporters play a critical role in the logistics of getting fresh crop coffee to our customers. In the world of traceability, we like to call this relationship with our exporter the “Unbroken Chain of Custody.” This is because ESCO LLC is an exporting company that is owned by the growers themselves. From the farm to the wet mill, Adham Yonis and his brother, Eskinder Yonis, have taken on a new wave of coffee entrepreneurship and maintain the critical custodian of exporting this coffee to their customers. This is key because the more hands a product goes through the more complex the journey gets, and the higher the magnitudes of risk. The Yonis brothers understand this and have made the investments to enhance traceability.
- Exporter: ESCO LLC
Step 5: To the Importer
As importers have grown to be multinational in geographical footprint, their role is just as critical to servicing small and independent roasters with high quality small lots, but also to bridge the financing between smallholder farmers and small independent roasters. Importers play an integral role for Stori, purely for logistical purposes within its platform. We worked with CAFE HILM to import this coffee. A stellar founder in his own right in coffee, Micheal Adinew is a native of Ethiopia whose deep relationship with the Yonis brothers essentially make him part of this incredible custodial journey to bring this coffee to our customers.
- GPS Coordinates: East Bay Logistics (33.858823,-118.219515)
Step 6: To the Roaster
The science and art of roasting is a poetic process that is put to the test every harvest season. Coffee may be grown the same year over year, but the variable of weather, inputs, and the farmers sweat equity is never the same. At Stori, we roast our coffee in sync with the farmers' labor of love. Our hope is to reveal that story with you through the coffee.
- Roaster: Stori Coffee, Pasadena, CA
- Roast Profile: Medium
Step 7: To You
When you pour a cup of Stori Coffee, it is important that the quality goes above and beyond your experience time and time again. And when this happens, we ensure that the seismic wave of impact ripples downstream, so that you and everyone involved is included, identified and treated with integrity.