We work with 14 partners worldwide, from who we source our coffee. In Ethiopia, we work together with Kolla Bolcha. On this page you can find everything you need to know about this collaboration.

THE

COUNTRY.

Ethiopia is the cradle of arabica and one of the only places where arabica still grows in the wild.. The high elevations, forested areas, semi-wild grown coffee as well as the indigenous varieties make Ethiopia a true coffee gem worth cherishing and protecting. Political unrest, lucrative foreign exchange markets and drug production are just some of the challenges that threaten the future of coffee here.

FUN FACT!

Ethiopia is the only country in the world that consumes the largest part of their own coffee production. Their centuries old coffee drinking traditions and daily coffee rituals are at the basis of Ethiopians’ appreciation of their natural heritage.

THE

COFFEE.

Coffee in Ethiopia grows in a semi-wild way. In a lot of cases grown in shaded farms where wild trees and other cash crops grow together. This in combination with soil, variety and elevation gives the coffee its distinctive characteristics. With a trend towards more large scale monoculture coffee farming this unique profile is losing ground. And that’s a bloody shame. Typical taste notes: floral, jasmine, berry and citrus, sweet and friendly acidity. Ethiopian coffee benefits from a number of processing techniques, commonly washed and natural methods.

OUR

PARTNERSHIP.

Wakuli works with the Kata Muduga Union. A large organization consisting of numerous cooperatives, each made up out of hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of farmers.. Our amazing coffee comes from one of the youngest coops, the Kolla Bolcha farmer cooperative (remember the name!!). In a secluded piece of paradise these farmers take production of coffee and the care for their valley super seriously.

THE

CHANGEMAKER.

Kata Muduga is a union representing around 20.000 farmers throughout the Jimma region and beyond. Ephrem Kebede is at the head of this union and works tirelessly to find the best customers for their coffee. Kata Muduga is super farmer focused in terms of value distribution. 90% of the final sales pricegoes to producers, 5% to export costs, and 5% to KM margin.

It is one of the most, if not the only, transparent unions in Ethiopia. Their main goal is to increase the household incomes of their farmer members, and do so through direct marketing channels with primary farmer-owned cooperatives. Farmer members receive dividends and support through social projects

SOME NUMBERS.

302

Farmers

2021

Partnership since

33.000

Total KGs sourced since start of partnership

OUR ETHIOPIAN COFFEE

Our Ethiopian coffee is available in fully compostable specialty pods year round. Once a year it is featured as a Discover Monthly and occasionally as a special edition, putting washed and natural coffee from the same growers side by side so you can experience the difference. Discover Monthly coffee is available in our stores and online in our subscription offers. Because coffee is a seasonal product in every producing country and logistics are sensitive to changes, the exact timing of the offer is hard to predict.