Meet the People Behind Ethiopian Coffee

• Single Farmer
• Sidama
• Natural G1

Teshale Heurioso

Coffee Farmer · Bona Qeqe, Sidama · Age 46

Teshale Heurioso is known in the Bona Qeqe microregion, part of the larger Bona region of Sidama, as one of the finest coffee farmers in the area. He is the second generation of his family to cultivate the highland land and now farms with his wife and six children.

Before exporting coffee from his farm, Teshale was an active member and treasurer of the local cooperative in Bona for six years. He had long dreamed of exporting his own coffee and began exporting his first batch in 2019.

Altitude

2,050m

Varieties

JARC

Grade 1 / Year

100 Bags

Teshale currently follows Heleph Coffee's technical harvesting and drying protocol and produces Grade 1 coffee in a modest annual volume.

• Single Farmer
• Bensa Sidama
• Natural G1

Meselech

Coffee Farmer · Shantawene Village · Mother of Five

Meselech is a coffee farmer in Bensa, Sidama, where she owns a 3.5-hectare farm. She began farming in the 1990s after inheriting the land from her father, and her experience is reflected in the quality of her coffee.

Meselech works with Heleph Coffee Exporter. Her traceability report describes the partnership as helping her receive the profits associated with selling her exported coffee, which is the primary source of income for her husband and five children.

Altitude

1,950–2,030m

Farm Size

3.5 ha

Varieties

JARC + Local

Her coffee is handpicked and naturally sun-dried, with ripe red cherries carefully selected to support quality before drying and milling.

• Coffee Supplier
• Bensa Eco-Region

Girma Legesse

Coffee Supplier · Bensa

Girma Legesse works in the Bensa eco-region, where he protects the Shanatwene Forest while harvesting wild coffee. His story highlights the connection between coffee production, forest stewardship, and market access.

According to the supplied story, export partnerships with Japanese buyers enabled Girma's cooperative to sell 19,200 kg in 2024, with reported net earnings of ETB 35,944,624. The story connects this income with better education for his children and continued eco-friendly practices supporting the local economy.

Girma's story highlights how sustainable coffee supply, forest protection, and international market relationships can intersect at origin.

• Smallholder Farmer
• Sustainable Farming

Adanech Tesfaye

Smallholder Farmer · 38

Adanech Tesfaye's story highlights challenges faced by smallholder coffee farmers, including low yields and limited access to markets. Through training in sustainable farming and cooperative export support, the story connects improved coffee practices with stronger household livelihoods.

The supplied page states that the farmer's coffee income tripled by 2020, enabling greater household improvements, additional help on the farm, and broader support for family and community.

The story illustrates the wider goal of connecting farmer knowledge, sustainable coffee production, and stronger access to premium markets.

• Peer Farmer
• Farmer Training

Ayelech Kure

Peer Farmer · 42

Ayelech Kure and her husband Futuna participated in Heleph's training and, according to the supplied story, increased their savings and credit engagement to 100%.

Their story presents a wider community effect: building a stronger enterprise, diversifying income sources, improving financial security, and passing resources forward to other families.

Farmer development can extend beyond coffee quality, helping strengthen financial capability and resilience within coffee-growing communities.

• Single Farmer
• Sidama
• Natural BDF 56

Degife Burka

Coffee Farmer · Miride, Sidama · Solina Project

Degife Burka is part of the Solina coffee project in Miride village, Sidama, where high-altitude growing conditions support exceptional coffee quality and careful production practices. Her contribution is rooted in the community-based work of selecting ripe cherries and preparing them with a distinctive natural process.

The Sidama region is known for its steep highlands, rich soils, and favorable microclimates, and this growing environment helps shape the expressive profile associated with the coffee from Bona Miride. The process begins with farmers handpicking fully ripe cherries and transporting them to the washing station for sorting and drying.

Altitude

2,149m

Varieties

JARC

Process

Natural

Degife Burka represents the Solina supply chain in Sidama, where farmer care, selective harvesting, and natural processing come together to support traceable quality at origin.