Limmu Kossa is a 356 acre estate in the Jimma zone of Ethiopia owned by Giday Behre. The farm was established in 2000 and now employs 500 people full-time, year-round. In the towns near Limmu Kossa, Giday is known as Ollie, which means "one who uplifts" in the local language. Given Giday's work to build schools, roads, and provide subsidized goods and services to Limmu Kossa's workers, the name is fitting—he is a pillar of the local community. 43 different species of trees shade the heirloom coffee varieties growing at Limmu Kossa, which helps the beans develop slower, becoming more dense and flavorful as a result. Cherries are processed with two on-site environmentally-friendly wet mills and one eco-mill equipped for both wet and dry processing. The farm also has a honey production operation consisting of more than 107 modern beehives. We were able to pay Giday an extra $0.75 a pound on top of what he was already paid to bring their payment up to true value.
Owner Gidey Berhe Retta started trading coffee in 1993 in Jimma. He soon opened his own wet and dry mills. He purchased Limu-Kossa Estate in 2000. The estate combines age-old agroforestry knowledge with modern processing machinery and techniques.
Coffee trees are shaded by endemic species. Limu-Kossa Estate uses agroforestry techniques to nurture coffee trees while preserving the plant and animals species in the area.
The estate sits in the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot, a region with an extremely density of flora and fauna species. This biological diversity can help maintain soil health. The ecosystem also provides drinkable water for much of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Coffee trees are intercropped with indigenous tree species that are endemic to forests in the region. Over 100 beehives foster a lively bee population that help pollinate. The entire farm is organic (NOP & USDA) and Rainforest Alliance certified.
After selective handpicking, the farm’s state-of-the-art machinery pulps cherry while separating it into 3 grades by density. These grades are then each processed separately to produce the highest quality lots possible. After fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and laid to sundry on raised beds. Parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 7 to 12 days for parchment to dry.
The estate’s machinery was purchased with ecological impacts in mind and are designed to use minimal water during processing.
Once dry, parchment is rested in a warehouse on the farm for 60 days. Then, parchment is transported to the Gidey Berhe dry mill in Jimma.
Country: Ethiopia
Region: Limmu
Farm: Limmu Kossa
Producer: Giday Behre
Varietal: Heirloom
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1,900-2000 MASL
Exporter: Sustainable Harvest
Importer:Sustainable Harvest
SCA Quality Score: 87.50
Proportional Pricing Breakdown:
- Farm Gate price for Green coffee equivalent (lb): $3.75
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- Farmer green coffee price NOT FOB price
- transport, customs, export, insurance and other FOB costs are below
- FOB to EXW costs (lb): $.60
- Transport Costs (lb): $.35
- Final Landed Cost: $4.73
- Roasting weight loss ~20%
- Base cost per pound $5.68
