A sun-dried (natural processed) coffee from the remote southern area of Ethiopia, below Yirgacheffe in a remote region called Guji. Shakiso is a washing station (processes the coffee) that helps out 700 small farmers in the surrounding village. They have organic certification and have been in business for eight years. This is a top grade 1 sort.

The acidity is crsip, and the light roasting preserves the up-front fruit notes, along with cocoa/chocolate. This is best served after two weeks of ‘rest’ following the roasting date, to allow for elimination of built-up gases in the roasted bean.

Kayon Mountain Coffee Farm is itself a relatively new establishment in the Guji region, near the border with Gedeb, in the vast Oromia state. Established by local families who call the town of Shakiso their home, the shareholders are no strangers to the coffee trade, having engaged in the coffee auctions for over thirty years. Kayon Mountain was founded in 2012, and has been venturing into direct exports for three years now. Managed by Ismael Hassen Aredo, the establishment employs 25 full time workers and up to 300 people for seasonal help during the peak of harvest. The farm is about 500 hectares in size – quite large – and is about 50% planted with coffee, the rest being a mix of cabbage, indigenous shade trees, and natural forest.

Notes courtesy of Royal Coffee.