Vista Espresso

The Bona Zuria district of Sidama, Ethiopia is known for producing spectacular cups with bright acidity, floral, and fruity notes which come from the area’s high altitude, unique climate, fertile soil, and meticulous processing. Nestled right in the district is the Ayele Tulu washing station, used by roughly 600 smallholder producers in the region each year. Here, every stage of the processing is carefully monitored by Tsegab Ayele, the son of the founder Ayele Tulu, to ensure that each step adheres to the highest quality standards. The result is an incredibly clean cup that reflects the unique terroir of the region.

Processing
This coffee has undergone a classic Ethiopian washed process, starting with smallholders hand-picking and delivering the coffee cherries to the washing station. The coffee is then depulped and left to ferment in water for 24-72 hours, ensuring proper flavour maturity. Afterwards the coffee is soaked again, ensuring all the mucilage (or coffee fruit) is cleaned off, before being laid on raised beds to dry in the shade for 10-15 days.

Jimma Agricultural Research Center
“During the 20th century, coffee commercialization intensified and the government introduced a coffee grading and sorting system, leading to the creation of the Ethiopian National Coffee Board in 1957. To improve the uniformity and reliability of the country’s coffee production, the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) was founded in 1967. Located just outside Jimma, JARC’s main responsibility is to collect, characterize and conserve coffee germplasm, improve agronomic practices, update processing techniques and, finally, develop varieties as a priority. These are then distributed to growers. These varieties are grown alongside local varieties that have been identified, classified and carefully selected, thus dispelling the misconception that all Ethiopian coffee is wild or of unknown origin. Since the 1970s, JARC’s coffee breeders have developed and disseminated a total of 40 coffee varieties, now grown in all the major coffee-growing regions of Ethiopia.”