Royal buys coffee from only a handful of large estates in Ethiopia, and this newer estate managed by the Edeto family is one of them. The family patriarch, Lemma Edeto, began working in coffee 60 years ago and has passed his knowledge down to his sons, Nigusse and Haile, who have been operating the first family farm, in Kebena Kossa, for some time (the farm was recovered by their father after it had been confiscated by the Derg regime in the 1970's). This new estate, sold to them by the original owners who had less experience than they needed to be successful, is 120 hectares in size and located in northern “Limu”, in the Limu Kosa district, north of the city of Jimma. The family also dry-mills and exports their own coffee, giving them full control of the value chain from tree to container. The estate employs 380 staff during harvest months. Hand-harvested cherry is checked thoroughly for ripeness consistency and cleanliness, weighed, and then stored in a covered tank overnight. The following morning the cherry is transported to raised beds for sun-drying, a process that takes several weeks and requires constant sorting, rotating, and supervision. While the estate does not currently have the facilities needed to produce washed-process coffee, the Edeto family intends to construct these soon to be able to offer both washed and honey process coffees in addition to naturals. Jimma zone sits southwest of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. Like much of coffee-growing Ethiopia, Jimma is a broad, sloping plateau of indescribable fertility and drastically high elevations. The best coffees of Jimma are known for being snappy with sweet and delicate fruit flavors. The area’s “white” honey, foraged by bees from coffee and forest blossoms, is another famous Jimma icon, and an utter sensory delight. Coffees from this zone, along with those from neighboring Illubabor, are commonly referred to as “Limu”, which is not a geographical indicator itself but more of a terroir distinction encapsulating common cup profiles from this part of the country.
