Illu Import Export

Our Coffee

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Varieties

How we source our coffee...

We have organic farms in the most coffee producing specific regions in Ethiopia. In the birthplace of coffee, our farmers are adopting new practices to positively enhance a way of life that’s been passed down for generations. Ethiopian coffee is usually produced in a sustainable way, and our coffees are a single product. We can assure you that our coffee presents exceptional aromas, complex flavors, and unique qualities.

COFFEE HARVESTING PROCESS

Ethiopian beans can be naturally processed or washed, Producing high
quality washed and natural process coffee involves a number of variables,
Water quality, soil quality, organic certification, sunlight, shade and pest
control must all be factored into the growth cycle.

Coffee Harvesting Process

Washed or Wet Processing

Washed or wet processing began in Ethiopia in the 1970s. Ethiopia was the birth-place of the first wet processing mill. Instead of being picked and dried immediately, wet processing requires thorough washing. The coffee beans soak in giant water vats immediately after they’re picked. Once they are clean, the beans sit on rotating beds for 48 to 72 hours. This dries the entire bean evenly. Wet processing is a modern method that creates a more consistent flavor.

Coffee Harvesting Process

Natural Processing

Natural or “dry-processed” coffees are put out in the sun to dry with their whole fruited cherry intact. This process which can take up to several weeks ends when the coffee fruit has fully raisined. The arrival cherry is sorted by hand first to separate the less dense cherries. Then the good cherry is taken to raise the bed to dry under the sunlight. This might take about 21 days. When the coffee is dried with cherry, it is milled to remove the husks and stored in the warehouse and transported to the final processing warehouse. It is filled with 60 Kg bag and shipped.

Coffee Harvesting Process

Honey Processing

This process is midway between the fully washed and natural processes described above, and produces an end-product of medium acidity and notable sweetness. In this case, ‘honey’ refers to the sticky, slimy mucilage around the bean. The coffee is dried together with some or all of the mucilage encasing the parchment, which means that a small amount of natural fermentation takes place before the bean becomes fully dry.

OUR FARM

Town/Region – Masha Zone Woreda Quo Kebele

Altitude – (1800-2000)

Farm Size – 428 Hectare

Flavor – Floral-Toned Acidity

Body – Strong

Acidity – Medium to Light

Aroma – Woody

Harvest Period – October – February

Export Preparation – Washed, Unwashed, Honey processed

History Of Coffee

Coffee grown worldwide can trace its heritage back centuries to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau. There, legend says the goat herder Kaldi first discovered the potential of these beloved beans. 

The story goes that that Kaldi discovered coffee after he noticed that after eating the berries from a certain tree, his goats became so energetic that they did not want to sleep at night. 

Kaldi reported his findings to the abbot of the local monastery, who made a drink with the berries and found that it kept him alert through the long hours of evening prayer. The abbot shared his discovery with the other monks at the monastery, and knowledge of the energizing berries began to spread.