Testi Coffee PLC produces superb coffees. As a private processor they pursue their entrepreneurial instincts, putting out unique coffees and generating new knowledge and knowledge in the process. This is a natural process from their site in Bensa, a very high elevation area in Sidama, made with a unique blend of cherry ripeness. Testi Ayla Processing Site The Testi Ayla processing station is located in Bombe, a small town in the Bensa district of eastern Sidama, close to the Harenna Forest preserve. The 725 farmers delivering cherry to Testi Ayla average two hectares each in this area and some of the highest elevations in the whole of Sidama. There are three collection sites responsible for managing cherry delivery throughout the catchment area. Testi Ayla processes equal volumes of both fully washed and natural coffees, and has also produced a number of barrier-pushing experimental microlots over the years using unique fermentation techniques. This lot, a standard sundried natural, was carefully curated at the cherry stage, consisting of 80% very ripe, 15% reddish unripe, and 5% overripe cherries in the mixture. All cherry was then floated to remove less dense coffee, and then sundried on raised screen beds for 21 days. Drying beds are intentionally placed in areas that receive more consistent wind and less direct sunlight over the course of a day, which allows cherries to dry more evenly and avoid the risks of uneven temperatures, breakage, or drying too quickly and losing flavor in the process. Private Processors Private processors like Testi Ayla are a thing to behold. It’s a tough business being a private processor in Sidama, as the sheer density of competition among washing stations tends to push cherry prices high throughout a single harvest, and privates often don’t have the backing of a larger union to secure financing, enlist committed farmer members, regulate cherry prices, or bring export costs down with centralized milling and marketing. Successful private washing stations like Testi Ayla, then, need to be not only standout quality processors to stay afloat; they must also be excellent business developers with connections and community standing, in order to continue winning the business of farmers and buyers alike, and stay afloat for the long term.
