Coffee spread to the highland areas of Sidamo where the trees are newer. In my home area, the trees can be 65-85 years old. Trees this mature no longer produce good, flavoursome coffee but farmers have been resistant to replanting due to the perceived interruption in their income. On a side note, in response to this issue Kerchanshe now runs a range of ...
Kochere District is found in Gedeo Zonal administration of the SNNP, Ethiopia. The district is located at the South Western part of Gedo, 340km away from the capital Addis Ababa. In relation to the surrounding, Kochere is located at lower altitude which ranges between 1700-1900 asl; Medium to high slope with undulating landscape. Rainfall is bimodal; about 1800mm, with good distribution. The average annual temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius. The soil type is Latrice Reddish brown with pH 5.3 to 6.0.
The coffee trees are grown under legume shade trees. Farmers practice a traditional agroforestry system where coffee and Inset (False Banana) grow under the shade of large legume trees. The soil is covered with dead leaves of inset to maintain soil moisture and fertilize the farm. The overall land resembles a well-maintained forest area when viewed from outside.
The coffee is typical Yirgacheffe with distinctively floral and fruit-toned flavor, brisk acidity, and balanced coffees from traditional varieties of Arabica long grown and also 74113 varieties.
Our 1435 outgrowing members are producing coffee under close supervision of our field officers. The farmers deliver harvested red cherries to nearby collection sites. Our collectors deliver the red cherries to the wet mill site where some of the products enter into the wet processing system, and the rest is left to dry naturally on raised African beds. In the wet process, the beans are first pulped and soaked in water to ferment. After fermentation, the parchment gets washed and sent to beds to dry. After drying, the parchment is temporarily stored in the onsite warehouse and finally sent to the Bule Hora Processing unit for parchment removal, cleaning, grading, sorting, and packing for shipment. In the natural process, the dried cherries are hulled at our dry mill and then transported to Bule Hora for further cleaning and packing.
Kerchanshe Trading PLC owns 3 processing units including The Bonde Wet Mill Unit in Boji Kebele, the Kore Wet Mill in Kore Kebele, and the dry mill at Bedesa Kebele. The annual production capacity is for parchment and sun-dried green beans. The Bonde Wet mill was established in 2010. The annual combined processing capacity of these sites is about 8,000,000 kg cherries.
Kerchanshe Trading PLC follows a self-regulating business model that ensures accountability to stakeholders and the public. The company supports outgrowing farmers by supplying coffee plant seedlings and shade tree species. Additionally, sustainability certification systems guide the company in adopting economically viable, socially sound, and environmentally acceptable production and processing methods. Currently, the Kochere site has been certified with Organic (EU Regulation, NOP, and JAS), Rainforest Alliance, and Fair Trade certifications.