Ethiopia
Yirgacheffe
Small holder producers
Small holder farms
Ethiopian Heirloom and Landrace Varieties
Natural
October - January
Stone Fruit, Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Grape, Orange, Red Fruit, Velvety
2100 meters
N/A
60 kg
USA - Charleston, SC - RPM
USA - New Jersey - CTI
The Idido wordea, located in the Gedeo zone, boasts high elevations from 1,700 to 2,200 meters above sea level, creating an ideal environment for growing native Arabica coffee. Cooler temperatures and abundant rainfall result in slow ripening of cherries, producing higher density beans with complex flavor profiles and vibrant acidity. Smallholder farmers use traditional methods, hand-picking ripe cherries to ensure high quality, then transporting them to local washing stations.
Idido coffee is renowned for its cacao, clean citrus, creamy body, and more. This unique profile makes Idido a sought-after origin for specialty coffee roasters and enthusiasts worldwide. Additionally, coffee cultivation in Idido significantly contributes to the local economy and cultural heritage.
This coffee comes to us through ZEM Coffee, a vertically integrated coffee company founded by Ethiopian and American trio Zele, Emily, and Michael. The partnership began in 2013 and has evolved through various ventures, including Catalyst Trade, which rapidly scaled as an Ethiopian coffee importer from 2018 to 2023. ZEM Coffee now operates with a small team in Kansas City and specialized teams in Ethiopia and Peru. Their focus is on quality coffee and intimate, sustainable partnerships in the coffee industry.
Literally translated as “Land of Many Springs,” Yirgacheffe has the ideal topography, elevation, and water sources to produce and process exceptional coffees. Yirgacheffe is a coffee classification in the Ethiopia coffee market. It is also one of the woredas in the Gedeo zone, a district like a municipality or county that includes many towns of South Ethiopia Region (formerly Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region-SNNPR).
Coffee farmers in Yirgacheffe are typically multi-generational small-scale landholders, sometimes farming only a few acres. Most coffees in Yirgacheffe are sold as cherry to centralized washing stations that help further separate flavor profiles.
Yirgacheffe is considered by many to be the birthplace of coffee and the coffee trees grown in the region are a naturally occurring mix of heirloom varieties cultivated among other species in coffee gardens and coffee forests. As part of the Gedeo Zone, Yirgacheffe is bordered to the south by Kochere, to the west by the Oromia Zone, to the north by Wenago, and to the east by Bule.
