The story of the Nano Challa co-operative is not vastly dissimilar to that of Duromina. It was in 2004 that a group of 25 farmers, with the support of the NGO, Technoserve, banded together to help secure better prices for the coffee they produced, rather than sell to local markets as a lower grade product. During 2010 the co-operative purchased their own washing station with a Penagos 500 Eco-pulper machine, that for the first time allowed them to produce their own washed coffees and bring real focus to quality.

Instead of merely providing agronomical support and advice, Technoserve have also been supporting Nano Challa with business planning and financial management education that saw the co-operative able to leverage quality-based premiums and pay off their washing station loans in the first year of production. As they own their production equipment outright, greater payments to their members follow each season, thus attracting more farmers in the area to join the co-operative. It also means they can use subsequent premiums to increase their production capacity, as they did in 2014 with the introduction of a second Penagos pulper.

The coffee itself comes largely from the Gera forest, renowned for its high quality honey production. Cherries delivered to the washing station by the 350 to 400 member farmers, whose farms range in elevation from 1,900m to around 2,100m, are pre-sorted and checked for proper ripeness before pulping in one of the two Penagos machines. The parchment coffee is allowed to soak overnight before moving onto drying tables where hand sorting and regular turning ensures defect removal and even drying.

We first cupped coffees from Nano Challa on a visit to Ethiopia back in 2014, but didn’t have room in our range nor the opportunity to purchase anything. This season, in cuppings during visits to the country in both January and March, selections from the co-operative stood out with a rich, rounded peach and nectarine sweetness, and both a depth of flavour and clarity of cup that were pretty special. This particular lot also demonstrated a floral characteristic of fresh hops and while it was intensely sweet and fruit-driven, it was also remarkably clean.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we do this season.