Remembering Bedhatu Jibicho

We are saddened by the passing of Bedhatu Jibicho, a treasured producer partner and friend of Royal Coffee. She was 105. 

Above: Royal Coffee's Haile Andualem, Bedhatu Jibicho, and her son, Tesfaye Roba. 2017, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

Bedhatu was born in the Worka area of Ethiopia’s Gedeb district and spent much of her life growing coffee there. When her husband died in 1991, she continued to run the farm with their six children. She managed the farm for over 20 years, earning recognition from the Worka cooperative as a model farmer. Her coffee became one of the lots we looked forward to each year. 

Royal’s CEO Max Nicholas-Fulmer first met Bedhatu in 2006 or 2007, when buying coffee from individual farmers in Ethiopia was far more difficult than it is today. “Bedhatu and her family became the keystone partner who allowed us to expand our single farmer buying to many other similar farms throughout the Gedeb area and beyond,” he recalls. “Through the challenges of that era, we developed a lasting relationship that resulted in some truly great coffees, with this year's harvest being extra special." 

Through the Banko Gotiti cooperative, Bedhatu’s harvest was processed as a separate lot and sold under her own name. Later, she and her sons established Roba and Family Coffee, an independent export business that grew to work with neighboring producers as well. 

Max and other Royal buyers visited Bedhatu and her family many times over the years, first at her farm and more recently in Addis Ababa. On one visit to the farm in 2017, our team shared lunch and drank coffee freshly roasted from the drying beds. Those visits deepened a relationship we valued well beyond the coffees we bought. 

“Bedhatu always enjoyed our visits. She would light up when she spoke about her years growing coffee, and she was proud of the courage it took to carry on farming after her husband died while raising six children. What I will remember most is how she welcomed people. She had a blessing and a generous word for everyone who spent time with her.”

— Haile Andualem, Director, Royal Coffee Addis Ababa

Bedhatu’s life is a reminder of how much women contribute to coffee, and how often their work goes unrecognized. We are grateful that roasters came to know her name and her coffee, and that this year’s harvest gives us one more chance to share it. 

Our deepest condolences go to Bedhatu’s children, her extended family, and her community. We will miss her.