Ethiopia Yirgacheffe 2 Top Roba Family GrainPro

Coffee Background

Recent changes in the Ethiopian export rules have opened new opportunities to develop relationships with vertically integrated suppliers. Roba and Family Coffee is one example of a newly formed export company now directly offering lots from the Gedeb district. Royal is actually quite familiar with the three brothers who formed Roba and Family because their mother’s coffee (Bedhatu Jibicho) is one of our favorites every year. The brothers have expanded beyond just helping their mother export her coffee. This particular lot is sourced from about 100 neighbors who cultivate coffee on small plots and deliver their cherry to the family’s washing station. On arrival, cherries are carefully hand sorted and floated to separate out less dense beans, then depulped, fermented for 48 hours, and washed and classified again in channels. The parchment is placed on raised beds where it is hand sorted again and dried over a period of 12 to 15 days. The parchment is also covered during the afternoons to prevent harsh drying in the intense sun. As a family owned business, emphasis on social impact in the communities where they source coffee is taking shape. The Roba family has invested in more localized cherry collection sites to reduce the transportation cost for small producers. They have also contributed to road construction projects that make travel for everyone a bit easier.