Mr. Berhanu Kurse | Ethiopia

Single Farmer Project - Mr. Berhanu Kurse

The Cup

Jasmine / Apricot / Brown Sugar / Strawberry

Roast

Light-Med

Region | Banko Gotiti, Gedeo, Yirgacheffe

Producer | Mr. Berhanu Kurse

Process | Natural

Variety | Heirloom Ethiopian Varieties

Elevation | 2200-2300 MASL

Mr. Berhanu Kurse

Mr. Berhanu Kurse lives in the village of Gotiti, in the Gedeo district of Ethiopia’s Southern Regional State. Gedeo is known for its high altitude and high-quality coffee production. Mr. Kurse owns 12 hectares of land, most of which is planted with coffee trees. His children, who also own smaller plots of land, help him manage the coffee farm. He inherited the land from his parents, and coffee production remains the family’s main source of income, covering basic needs as well as expenses such as education, healthcare, and transportation.

Single Farmer Project 

The Single Farmer Project is the result of an effort to support Ethiopian producers with a marketplace for farm-traceable coffees. Back in 2012, during a turbulent time in Ethiopia's coffee exporting history, Cafe Imports Partner and CEO Jason Long worked with an established cooperative to export some of the first ever truly “Farm Traceable” lots from Ethiopia. This was the first time a roaster could highlight the individual farmer for their Ethiopian Coffee. It was the start of an incredible project and truly began the movement for traceability in Ethiopia as we see more often today. This project also gave us some very fun stories like literally bringing a backpack full of Ethiopian Birr to Yirgacheffe with COO Noah Namowicz to pay the premiums directly to these farmers who participated. 

This project is made possible in conjunction with important export partners supporting and bringing to market individual farmer lots. Samples are sent out to potential buyers, price is negotiated on the farmers' behalf, and contracts are only accepted when the producer agrees on a sales price and their name is on the contract for each coffee they sell.