Heleph Coffee · Projects
Projects Creating Value at Origin
From the highlands of Ethiopia to roasteries around the world, our projects go beyond exporting exceptional coffee. We invest in farmers, communities, quality, and climate, building a supply chain where value begins, and stays, at origin.
Featured Project
Coffee Tourism & Origin Experience
We open our farms, washing stations, and cupping labs to the world. The Heleph Origin Experience invites roasters, buyers, and travelers to walk the same soil our coffee grows in, meeting farmers, tasting harvests at source, and seeing traceability made tangible.
- Location
- Sidama, Ethiopia
- Project Type
- Coffee Tourism
- Status
- Ongoing
- Key Outcome
- Buyers can select micro-lots on site
Our Projects
Building Beyond the Supply Chain
Every Heleph project answers one question: how can coffee do more for the people and places that grow it? Explore our work across quality, community, sustainability, tourism, and value addition.
01 · Value Addition
Heleph Roasted Coffee
Our B2C roasted coffee program brings Ethiopian origin flavor directly to consumers, roasted with care, packaged at source, and keeping more value in the hands of growers.
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02 · Quality
Coffee Innovation Lab
A dedicated space for experimentation in processing, fermentation, and flavor development, pushing what Ethiopian coffee can become, one trial lot at a time.
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03 · Quality
Research & Development Hub
Our R&D hub studies varieties, agronomy, and post-harvest science, turning field data into better yields, better cup scores, and better farmer incomes.
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04 · Sustainability
Zero-Waste Coffee
From cascara to compost, we’re working toward a coffee chain where nothing is discarded: every husk, pulp, and byproduct given a second purpose.
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05 · Sustainability
Sustainability & Climate Action
Shade-grown systems, water stewardship, and climate-resilient practices protect the forests and watersheds that make Ethiopian coffee possible.
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06 · Community
Women’s Empowerment
Training, leadership roles, and fair access to income for the women who do so much of coffee’s work and have historically received so little of its value.
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07 · Community
Farmer Training & Success Stories
Hands-on agronomy and quality training that helps smallholder partners grow better coffee, earn stronger prices, and build lasting livelihoods.
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08 · Partnerships
Roaster Relationship Program
Long-term, transparent relationships with roasters worldwide, built on shared quality goals, honest pricing, and a direct line to origin.
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09 · Tourism
Origin Experience
We host buyers and travelers at our farms and washing stations: a first-hand journey through Ethiopian coffee, from cherry to cup.
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10 · Partnerships
Open Partnerships
An open invitation to investors and mission-aligned organizations to co-build the next chapter of value-added Ethiopian coffee.
Explore ProjectNo projects in this category yet; new work is always brewing.
September 2026 Update
Inside Our Projects
A closer look at where each project stands today — what it includes, why it matters, and the milestones ahead.
01 · Value Addition
Heleph Roasted Coffee (with Seven Trust)
Roasted at origin. Traceable to the farmer. Delivered fresh.
Active — scaling up · Sept 2026Instead of exporting only green beans and letting the value be added abroad, we roast, pack and sell the coffee here — keeping more of its value in Ethiopia and with the farmers who grow it. Every bag is single-origin and fully traceable: an origin card and QR code tell the customer the farm, altitude, variety, process, tasting notes and the farmer behind the coffee.
- Core range — 500 g whole-bean bags in light, medium and dark roast.
- Signature packs — 250 g single-origin packs named after our farmers: Meselech’s Signature and Teshale’s Signature.
- Specialty anaerobic coffees — Three new coffees developed in the Coffee Innovation Lab.
- Drip bags — 12 g single-serve drip bags in 5-packs.
- Heleph coffee shops — Three branded shops opening December 2026 – February 2027.
- Volume goal this year
- 10 tons roasted
- Roaster batch size
- 6 kg → 15 kg
02 · Quality
Coffee Innovation Lab
Where new Ethiopian flavours are discovered.
Active — expanding · Sept 2026Our quality team tests new ways to ferment, process and dry coffee, looking for cup profiles that are exciting, repeatable and uniquely Ethiopian. Each trial is carefully controlled and recorded — temperature, time, pH and drying curve — and every result is cupped. The best experiments become micro-lots for specialty roasters, and the lab doubles as a classroom for farmers and station staff.
- Fermentation trials — Anaerobic sealed-tank, double-stage, koji-assisted, cold-temperature and carbonic maceration.
- Drying trials — Raised-bed optimisation, shade-drying, parabolic and renewable-energy dryers.
- Micro-lot production — Small experimental batches offered to specialty roasters.
- Farmer workshops — Regular training on advanced processing methods.
- Target cup quality
- SCA 88–92+
- Anaerobic coffees launched
- 3
- Fermentation methods in trial
- 6
- Next facility
- Innovation Greenhouse
03 · Quality
Research & Development Hub
The science behind better coffee and better harvests.
Active — QC lab upgrade planned · Sept 2026The R&D Hub brings together agronomy, processing science and sensory analysis. Soil and plant studies take place on partner farms, while processing, drying and cupping research runs at our washing stations. Results are shared directly with farmers through training, so science becomes better practice on the ground.
- Processing innovation — Controlled fermentation, pH profiling, microbial mapping and washing-water quality.
- Soil health & climate resilience — Nutrient analysis, composting, heat-tolerant varieties and rainwater harvesting.
- Sensory research & data tracking — Hundreds of cupping sessions a year, with quality metrics recorded for every lot.
- Cupping sessions
- Hundreds per year
- Target green moisture
- 10–12%
- Optical sorting target
- 99%+ defect removal
- Next upgrade
- SCA-standard cupping lab
04 · Sustainability
Zero-Waste Coffee
Nothing from the coffee cherry goes to waste.
In development · Sept 2026Only the seed of the coffee cherry becomes the coffee we drink. The skin, pulp and husk — and the water used to process them — are often thrown away. Zero-Waste Coffee is Heleph’s commitment to turn these by-products into value.
- Composting — Pulp and husk turned into organic compost for partner farms.
- Cascara — Dried cherry husk explored as a naturally sweet tea and food ingredient.
- Water recycling — Wastewater filtering now; closed-loop eco-pulping planned for the new processing plant.
- Target fresh-water saving
- 60–80% vs. conventional wet mills
05 · Sustainability
Sustainability & Climate Action
Protecting forests, water and farmers for the future of coffee.
Active — certification roadmap underway · Sept 2026We work with local communities to plant indigenous trees, expand shade-grown agroforestry, save and clean water at our washing stations, and train farmers in climate-smart practices. Full traceability of every lot also prepares our coffee for new rules in markets such as the European Union.
- Agroforestry & reforestation — Diverse shade trees and indigenous planting to restore degraded land.
- Water stewardship — Water-saving pulpers, wastewater filtering and rainwater tanks.
- Climate education — Training in climate-smart farming, composting and organic fertiliser.
- Green processing — Solar dryers, low-energy processing and biodegradable packaging.
- Certification roadmap
- 4C → Organic → Rainforest Alliance
- Target water saving
- 60–80% with eco-pulping
- Growing altitude
- 1,800–2,200 m
- Traceability
- Lot-level, EUDR-ready
06 · Community
Women’s Empowerment
Recognising the women who make Ethiopian coffee possible.
Active — ongoing · Sept 2026Women do much of the work in Ethiopian coffee — picking, sorting, processing and running family farms — yet too often receive little of the recognition or income. This initiative makes sure women gain skills, jobs, leadership roles and fair income across the whole coffee chain. Their names and stories now appear on Heleph Roasted Coffee, such as Meselech’s Signature from Bensa.
- Leadership & skills training — Financial literacy, farm management, processing skills and cooperative leadership.
- Employment — Priority hiring for sorting, processing, administration and field extension roles.
- Women-led micro-lots — Lots managed entirely by women and sold as named coffees.
- Savings & credit — Support to join savings groups and start small businesses.
- Goal: women in permanent workforce
- 40%
- Jobs as the business grows
- 360 permanent + 1,000 seasonal
- Featured woman farmer
- Meselech, Bensa — 3.5 ha, 1,950–2,030 m
07 · Community
Farmer Training & Success Stories
Every great lot starts with a farmer.
Active — farmer network growing · Sept 2026Heleph works with thousands of smallholder farmers across Sidama. Training happens on the farm and at the washing station: selective handpicking, careful sorting, drying on raised African beds for 15–22 days, moisture control and proper storage. Some farmers, like Teshale and Meselech, now have their names on Heleph Roasted Coffee.
- Teshale Heurioso — Bona Qeqe, second-generation farmer at 2,050 m.
- Meselech — Bensa, mother of five farming 3.5 ha at 1,950–2,030 m.
- Girma Legesse — Bensa, harvests wild forest coffee while protecting the Shanatwene forest.
- Degife Burka — Miride, natural-process grower at 2,149 m.
- Contracted farmers today
- 4,600
- Goal by 2029
- 8,000 farmers
- Washing stations
- 6 in Bona Zuria, Bensa & Aleta Wondo
- Drying on raised beds
- 15–22 days
08 · Partnerships
Roaster Relationship Program
Long-term partnerships built on quality, trust and transparency.
Active — direct export · Sept 2026Under Ethiopia’s new rules for vertically integrated exporters, Heleph can source, process and export its own coffee directly. Roasters receive lots that stay separate and traceable from farm to container, with exclusive micro-lots, custom processing, pre-shipment samples with full cupping data, and the chance to visit origin.
- Exclusive micro-lots — Reserved lots and custom processing: washed, natural, honey or anaerobic.
- Samples & lab support — Pre-shipment samples with cupping scores and moisture data.
- Full traceability — Documentation from farm and washing station to container.
- Origin travel — Visits through the Coffee Tourism & Origin Experience.
- Origins offered
- Sidama, Yirgacheffe, Guji, West Arsi
- Sidama profiles
- Bona Zuria washed · Bensa natural & honey · Aleta Wondo
- Shipping
- Full containers; vacuum-sealed specialty lots
09 · Tourism
Coffee Tourism & Origin Experience
Meet the land, the farmers and the process behind every Heleph cup.
Active — expanding · Sept 2026Every visit follows the full farm-to-cup journey: shaded coffee gardens in the Sidama highlands, cherries handpicked, sorted, pulped and dried on raised African beds, then cupped side by side with our quality team. Visits are now linked with the Roaster Relationship Program so buyers can select micro-lots on site, and roasted coffee customers can take a digital origin tour through the QR code on each bag.
- Farm tours — Guided walks through coffee gardens, meeting growers.
- Processing demonstrations — Live washed, natural and honey processing during harvest.
- Cupping workshops — Side-by-side cupping of current-harvest lots.
- Cultural experiences — Traditional coffee ceremonies, local food and community visits.
- Operating washing stations
- 6 — Bacha, Gowacho, Kebelanka, Bona Kike, Shenitawene, Shisha Genet
- Growing zones visited
- Bona Zuria, Bensa & Aleta Wondo
- Growing altitude
- 1,800–2,200 m
- Planned visitor facility
- Heleph Origin Lodge, 8–12 rooms
10 · Partnerships
Open Partnerships for Investors
Grow value-added Ethiopian coffee with us.
Open — welcoming partners · Sept 2026This is a partnership in an established, operating export business, not a start-up. Heleph already runs six washing stations in Sidama with 7,400 tonnes per year of cherry-processing capacity and a network of 4,600 contracted farmers. Our next stage connects every part of the chain into one integrated platform.
- Processing & technology — A modern processing plant with AI optical sorting and controlled fermentation.
- Coffee estate — A 30–50 ha managed specialty estate with drip irrigation.
- Quality & storage — SCA cupping laboratory and climate-controlled warehouse.
- Logistics — A dedicated fleet bringing cherries from farm to mill within 6 hours.
- Origin Lodge & innovation — Visitor lodge and an Innovation Greenhouse.
- Installed capacity
- 7,400 tonnes of cherry per year
- Farmer network
- 4,600 today → 8,000 by 2029
- Jobs as the business grows
- 360 permanent + 1,000 seasonal
Impact & Results
Projects With Purpose
Impact we can measure, in communities we know by name.
6
Operating Washing Stations
4,600
Contracted Farmers — 8,000 by 2029
7,400 MT
Yearly Cherry Processing Capacity
100%
Commitment to Sustainable & Responsible Practices
Our Partners
Creating Greater Impact Together
None of this work happens alone. We collaborate with cooperatives, research institutions, certifiers, and development partners who share our belief that great coffee and thriving communities grow together.
- Cooperatives
- Research Institutions
- Certifiers
- Development Partners
Latest Project Updates
View All Updates
Three Heleph coffee shops preparing to open, December 2026 – February 2027
Read Update
Three new anaerobic-process coffees join the Heleph Roasted Coffee range
Read Update
Farmer network reaches 4,600 contracted farmers across six washing stations
Read UpdateBuild Something Meaningful With Us
Whether you’re a roaster, investor, or organization working at origin, there’s a place for you in what we’re building. Let’s grow value where coffee begins.