Ethiopia Mount Idedo ‎
‎
This lot comes from farms near the town of Idedo in the Yirgacheffe district, located in the heart of the Gedeo zone in southwestern Ethiopia. The region is renowned for its specialty coffee, which thrives thanks to its tropical climate, fertile soils, and high elevation — over 2000 meters above sea level. At this altitude, the coffee is classified as Strictly High Grown (SHG) / Strictly Hard Bean (SHB), meaning the cherries mature slowly, allowing the beans to develop complex and vibrant flavor profiles. ‎
‎
Mount Idedo station was founded in 2023 and currently focuses on natural processing. The mill is still under development, but from the 2025/26 harvest, it is expected to also process washed coffees. Cherries are sourced from smallholder farmers in the surrounding kebeles — Idedo, Wogida, and Gerbota. For natural processing, the cherries are dried on raised beds for 12–14 days, turned every two hours to ensure even drying. ‎
‎
Coffee production in Gedeo is dominated by smallholder farmers. More than 25,000 producers cultivate coffee on plots of 0.5–2 hectares. The regional climate combines equatorial and monsoon influences, with a bimodal rainfall pattern: short rains from March to May, followed by the main rainy season from July to December. Annual rainfall averages 1800–2000 mm, with average temperatures between 20–23 °C. Loamy soils with excellent drainage make this terroir ideal for specialty coffee cultivation. ‎
‎
The Mount Idedo station is owned by Lulo Coffee, founded by Robel Kidane, a certified Q Processing professional, together with his family. Lulo operates two farms, several processing stations, and works with more than 30 partner farmers through its “Lulo Promise” program. This initiative helps producers bring high-quality single-farm coffees to market while ensuring that up to 88% of the coffee’s value goes directly back to the farmers. ‎
‎
Both Lulo and its partners follow organic farming practices. No chemical fertilizers, insecticides, or pesticides are used. Instead, farmers apply natural compost made from fallen leaves, cut weeds, cow manure, and coffee pulp — a by-product of coffee processing. ‎