Celinga is a small town with a wet mill located in the Bangua district within the Yirgacheffe region. This coffee was purchased through the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) system in Ethiopia and milled at the exporter’s impressive new mill. The ECX system can yield a number of benefits for producers, but can also limit a purchaser’s ability to trace a coffee’s specific origin details. This does not have to result in inferior quality coffee, however – the exporter from which this coffee was sourced is able to buy and evaluate lots from the ECX, then mill and blend based on quality levels.

The ECX was started in 2008 to help protect farmers from market forces that might prevent them from making a living. Most of the coffee in Ethiopia is produced by smallholders who own 0.7 hectares; bumper crops often lead to big price drops, which can make it unprofitable for farmers to harvest their coffee. What the ECX does is commoditize grains, including sesame, beans, maize, wheat, and most importantly, coffee. This ensures prompt payment to farmers. It also integrates all parts of the “eco-system” involved in a grains market, including warehousing, grading, trading, and payment. Access to information is emphasized, as farmers can obtain information about trading prices and local delivery points easily through dedicated telephone lines.