Farm ‎
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This lot comes from Mr. Tadese Teko, a coffee farmer from the village of Sheil, near Worqa town in the Yirgacheffe region of southern Ethiopia. He lives in the Gedeo Zone, Gedeb Woreda, an area internationally renowned for producing some of Ethiopia’s highest-quality coffees. ‎
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Mr. Tadese owns 8 hectares of land, which is considered large by local standards, as the average farm size in the region is around 4 hectares. Coffee is the primary source of income for his family. He has nine children, and income from coffee allows him to send them to school. ‎
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Farmers in this region traditionally use natural, organic fertilizers made from agricultural waste, and chemical fertilizers are not used in coffee production. In addition to growing coffee, many smallholder farmers also work at nearby washing stations during harvest season to supplement their income. ‎
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Mr. Tadese primarily produces washed coffee, which he delivers to local washing stations. He takes great pride in the exceptional quality of his coffee, which consistently stands out among regional lots. ‎
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Single Farmer Program ‎
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Single Farmer Project ‎
Mr. Tadese Teko — Grade 1 — Halo Beriti ‎
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The Single Farmer Project was created to support Ethiopian coffee producers by building a market for coffees with full traceability back to the individual farm. ‎
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In 2012, during a turbulent period in Ethiopia’s coffee export history, partner and CEO Jason Long collaborated with a well-established cooperative to export the first Ethiopian coffee lots that could be traced directly to a single farmer. This marked the first time an individual farmer was formally identified as the producer of an exported Ethiopian coffee lot and became the starting point of the traceability movement that continues to grow across the country today. ‎
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The project has generated many remarkable stories, including a trip by COO Noah Namowicz to Yirgacheffe carrying a backpack full of Ethiopian birr to pay quality premiums directly to participating farmers. ‎
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The program is made possible through close collaboration with key export partners who support and bring Single Farmer lots to market. ‎
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Coffee samples are sent to potential buyers, prices are negotiated on behalf of the farmer, and contracts are finalized only once the producer agrees to the sale price. The farmer’s name is explicitly stated in the contract for every lot sold. ‎
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“Our goal with this project is to help establish and grow long-term relationships between producers we already work with and roasting companies that share the values of transparency, traceability, and relationship-driven trade,” ‎
— Claudia, Green Coffee Buyer, Cafe Imports ‎
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