Ethiopia – Kabira

The story of the farm and producer Mustefa Abakeno

Mustefa Abakeno manages an 18-hectare farm in the Jimma area, over 2000 meters above sea level. He grows local varieties developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center. In 2018, following changes in export regulations, he began selling coffee directly and established the Beshasha processing station, which today also serves neighboring smallholders (so-called outgrowers).

Since then, Mustefa has expanded his network of cherry collection sites – including four new locations: Echamo, Jarso, Badeyi, and Saadi. Cherries from these sites are processed at Beshasha and Kabira, both of which he operates himself.

How is coffee from Kabira processed?

This coffee is processed using the natural method. Cherries are first floated in water to remove underripe ones. After that, they are shade-dried for one day to stabilize the process and then moved to raised beds, where they dry for 20 to 30 days, depending on the weather.

Thanks to collaboration with agronomist Harun (Falcon Addis Ababa), new steps have been introduced, such as shade netting during the hottest hours of the day and moisture monitoring throughout the drying phase. Each day lot is evaluated and contributes to the final cupping profile.

Variety

This coffee comes from Ethiopian varieties 74110 and 74112, developed at the Jimma Agricultural Research Center. These varieties are known for their resilience and excellent adaptation to high-altitude conditions.