{"product_id":"40558-1","title":"Ethiopia Guji 3 Natural Kercha - 40558-1 - GrainPro Bags - ETA: Nov 19, 2026 - COMIDWEST","description":"\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;There are few entrances to\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Guji\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;--a distant and heavily forested swath of land stretching southeast through the lower corner of the massive Oromia region--and none of these routes are short, or for the queasy, in any way.\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Guji\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;is heavy with primary forest thanks to the\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Guji\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;tribe, a part of Ethiopia’s vast and diverse Oromo nation, who have for generations organized to reduce mining and logging outfits where they can, in a struggle to conserve the land’s sacred canopy. Compared to other coffee-heavy regions, large parts of\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Guji\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt; feel like prehistoric backwoods. \u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Ashenafi\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Woressa’s\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;processing\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;station, called\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Kercha\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;,\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;is in\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Derkidame\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;town\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;, in the district of \u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Hambela\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Wamena\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;,\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;which starts at the border of\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Gedeo\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;zone (also known as\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Yirgacheffe\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;) and runs southeast toward\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Shakiso\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;. Historically\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;even this part of\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Guji\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;could\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;be a full day’s\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;walk\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;from the nearest trading centers of\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Gedeb\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;or\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Dilla\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;to the west, which le\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;ft\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt; many coffee farmers debilitated by lack of access to market, and cherry prices often less than half of neighboring \u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Gedeo\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;or\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Sidama\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;zones.\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Coffee farms in this part of\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Guji\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;begin at 2000 meters in elevation and tend to climb from there. To exit\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Hambela\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Wamena\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;district to the west, as nearly all the coffee must do to begin the trek north to Addis Ababa, one regularly reaches heights of 2600 meters or higher, and yet the\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;scenery remains as fertile and bustling as anywhere. The highland farming communities in this part of the country can be at turns Edenic in their natural purity, and startlingly remote.\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;The gorgeous arabica genetics of this area, blessed by some of the country’s healthiest biodiversity, \u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;c\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;ould\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;be\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;easily\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;ruined in transit, or commodified and blended into lower grades as a result of the difficult geography.\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;One way for farmers to\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;survive the\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;se\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;disadvantages\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;was\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;by having larger, more diversified parcels, sometimes 20 acres or more, with equal emphasis on livestock or other crops for local markets as on coffee. But the vast majority have always been small—2-4 acres only.\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Notably as well,\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;cooperative unions, Ethiopia’s hallmark exporter organizations for small farmers,\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;have little to no presence in\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Guji\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;.\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Were it not for\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;private washing stations like\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Kercha\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;,\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;local growers\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;would have as their only option the sporadic, rogue coffee collector from\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Gedeo\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;or farther, bringing rock bottom prices and a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;The\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Kercha\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;processing station in\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Derikidame\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;is most definitely an exception to the status quo for small farmers in\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Guji\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;.\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;And is\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt; an important island of commerce in \u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;the\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;remote\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Hambela\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;Wamena\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;district\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;.\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;\u0026lt;span\u0026gt;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/span\u0026gt;","brand":"Royal Coffee","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67972503273779,"sku":"3427097000061384290","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0720\/7672\/2364\/files\/rcf-coffee-info-d2682511877eb1466efdf34bc6c2a77b02716ff78465ea579046ae55744bf2a8.jpg?v=1789964408","url":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/products\/40558-1","provider":"Royal Coffee","version":"1.0","type":"link"}