The Oromia Regional State is Ethiopia’s most significant, including over 110,000 square miles and 35 million people. It touches the borders of both Kenya to the south and South Sudan to the west. It has Ethiopia’s massive capital city, Addis Ababa, along with 65% of Ethiopia coffee growing territory as of 2014. Several famous coffee regions are included in whole or in part in Oromia: Jimma and Illubabor in the west; Harar to the northeast; Arsi, bordering Sidama in the mid-south, which produces many similar terroirs; and the Guji Zone.
The Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU) is an umbrella organization established in 1999 by 34 individual cooperatives interested in centralizing resources and gaining leverage in the export market. As of 2020, OCFCU supports more than 400 individual cooperatives–more than 400,000 households, by far the country’s most significant unionization of farmers. Premiums from coffee exports are returned directly to farmers, and the union also funds organic farming programs, mill equipment purchases, and food security programs. OCFCU has established a central cupping lab to support quality control. It is a founding shareholder in its members’ bank, the Cooperative Bank of Oromia. It provides pre-harvest financing and crop insurance, both historically unavailable to rural farmers in Ethiopia. OCFCU has been Fairtrade and Organic certified since 2002 and has been one of the world’s largest suppliers of Fairtrade coffee.
The Nyamasheke district in Rwanda is gifted in terroir. The cool, humid climates of both Lake Kivu and the Nyungwe Forest National Park keep groundwater abundant throughout the uniquely hilly region. Kivu is part of the East African Rift, whose consistent drift creates volcanic seepage from the lake’s bottom and enriches the surrounding soils. Coffees from this region are often jammier and heavier than the rest of the country.
Ngoma Coffee Washing Station is located in the southern part of Nyamasheke district, in a fantastic location right on the shore of Lake Kivu. The station is owned and operated by Baho Coffee Company, a small community-focused processing and exporting group that currently operates six washing stations in 6 different districts in Rwanda and is presently constructing two more. In addition to thoroughly washed lots like this one, Baho produces excellent quality naturals and experiments annually with honey processing and anaerobic fermentation styles. Participating farmers delivering cherry to Baho’s washing stations can count on annual payment premiums and farm-level support, including yearly coffee seedlings, health insurance, fertilizer, and harvest loans.
Despite its diminutive size compared to other East Africa coffee producing countries, Rwanda’s coffee has a significant history and terroir unique to the rest of the continent. The Belgians initially forced coffee into remote communities as a colony-funding cash crop. The Belgians distributed varieties cultivated by the French on Ile de Bourbon (now Reunion Island, near Madagascar) but had so little invested in coffee’s success that they immediately allowed production to decline through a lack of investment in national infrastructure, as well as the farmers who grew it. As a result, the sector suffered near total obscurity in the coffee world from Rwanda’s independence in 1962 until rebuilding following the country’s devastating civil war and astonishingly tragic genocide in 1994.
Rwanda’s former cash crop, however, roared to international buyer attention in the late 2000s thanks to one of East Africa’s most successful coffee interventions, the Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda Through Linkages (PEARL). PEARL was a sweeping infrastructure and education investment targeting large regions of Rwanda whose coffee was mainly processed poorly at home and exported with little traceability. The program, designed and led by the University of Michigan, Texas A&M, and a host of Rwandan organizations, vastly increased processing hygiene by building washing stations. It also organized remote and under-resourced smallholders into cooperative businesses capable of specialty partnerships. Perhaps most significantly for the long term, it took the legacy bourbon genetics buried in abandonment and polished them anew to the amazement of coffee drinkers everywhere. The snappy acidity, stone fruit flavors, and fragrant herbaceousness found in Rwanda’s coffee are still unique to bourbon produced anywhere else in the world. Producer groups like Baho cherish their farmers’ potential and are learning to maximize the quality and variety available from Rwanda’s most promising terroirs.
Masha coffee comes from Masha Woreda Yeppo Village, a coffee farm owned by world-renown running champion Haile Gebrselassie. The land was a gift from the Ethiopian government in thanks for his achievements representing Ethiopia. Among his accomplishments, Haile is a two-time Olympic champion, a four-time World Champion, and the holder of 27 world records for distances from 1,500 meters to the marathon.
Haile transformed the 1,500 hectares into a stunning coffee farm with 200 hectares of dedicated conservation forest land, through which the Gahamay and Bosoko rivers run. The farm has 46 identifiable plots, each with specific planted varieties and processing methods. And in addition to following socially and environmentally friendly practices and meeting the requirements for Organic, Rainforest Alliance certification and other certifications, Yeppo Village offers local coffee farmers training opportunities in agronomy best practices and methods for increasing cup quality.
Haile was president of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation for a time, and he founded the Great Ethiopian Run—a 10-kilometer race around Addis Ababa. He also organizes the Girls Run race in Addis annually, encouraging and empowering young women through sports.
We are introducing our newest locker cafe, Everyday Coffee Roasters - Santa Rosa, Laguna.
In 1571, Santa Rosa was still part Biñan and was called Barrio Bukol, discovered by a Spanish Conquistador named Juan de Salcedo while exploring Laguna Lake. Later on, in 1792, It was politically emancipated as the Municipality of Santa Rosa, named after Saint Rose of Lima of Peru.
The facade of our cafe is made from sustainable materials to look like a small cocoon with lockers among the many stores surrounding it. If you are in the area, stop by for a surprising moment of peace within the non-stop movement of the bustling neighborhood.
Introduction: Why is it Special to Enjoy Coffee This Holiday Season?
The holidays are a time for celebration and family. It is also the time of year when we spend more time with each other. With all the hustle and bustle of the season, it is easy to forget to take care of ourselves. This holiday season, try to make coffee one of your new traditions and enjoy a cup every morning as you start your day or at night as you wind down.
We should not think about coffee as a beverage that helps us get through our day but also as an essential part of our health routine this holiday season.
How to Choose the Right Coffee Beans for a Festive Season
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. It is drunk by millions of people every day. It has been a part of our lives for centuries and will continue for years to come.
There are many different types of coffee beans available at Everyday Coffee Roasters. But not all beans are created equal. Some are better than others, depending on your needs and preferences. To help you choose the right kind of coffee beans for your festive season, here are our latest offerings:
- Honduras: COMSA Manos De Mujer. Notes profile of Almond, Papaya, Milk Chocolate
- Guatemala: ASPROGUATE Organic. Notes profile of Black Cherry, Brown Sugar, Nougat
- Colombia: Palestina La Argentina. Notes profile of Almond, Dark Chocolate, Lemon
- El Salvador: Finca El Gobiado Orange Bourbon. Notes profile of Honey, Lactic Acidity, Floral
What Equipment You’ll Need To Brew The Perfect Cup of Joe?
The perfect cup of coffee is a subjective matter. There are many different ways to brew coffee, and each has its benefits.
French Press: The French press is a simple way to brew coffee. It’s easy to use and doesn’t require any special equipment. The downside is that it can be messy, and the grounds can get into your cup of coffee.
V60: The V60 is a pour-over method that uses paper filters to make a clean cup of coffee with no grounds. It’s also easy to use but requires more time than other methods because you must wait for the water to drip through the filter before you can pour another cup of coffee.
Pour-Over Brew With Your Friends & Family
The V60 is a cone-shaped coffee filter to make a pour-over brew coffee. It’s one of the most popular brewing methods in the world and can be a great conversation starter with your friends and family.
The are different kinds of brewing techniques using a V60, but here’s its most straightforward step to follow:
1. Place your ground coffee in the bottom of the cone, then wet it with hot water to saturate it.
2. Make sure your ground coffee is evenly wetted and compressed into a puck shape at the bottom of your filter cone.
3. Pour hot water over its borders, saturating all sides before pouring over the center (this will help keep grounds from escaping).
4. Wait 2-3 minutes before removing the filter from the cup or mug, allowing for complete extraction before drinking.
5. The most important of all. Please share it with your friends and family, and enjoy the brew together!
