Nguisse Nare is part of a small number of outstanding single origin producers in Sidama who are working along side Ethiopian coffee legend Asnake Bekele.

Asnake was the visionary who first convinced the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union to build a raised bed drying station and try out natural processing alongside their traditional washed coffees for the first time.

At the time, he was laughed at.

But, thanks to Asnake and his perseverance, we all now get to experience the joy of natural processed Sidamas.

Nguisse Nare is one of the select group of producers working along side Asnake and his team to consistantly improve natural processing and harvesting processes for traceable single origin lots.

Asnake shares that on Negusse’s farm in Bensa, “Red Cherries are harvested by hand-picking. This is very labor-intensive, and around 75 seasonal and daily laborers are employed for selective harvesting, transporting, sorting, and drying. Pickers many a time have to return to the same tree multiple times as coffee cherry doesn’t ripen all at the same time. Carefully harvested cherries are then are loaded into bags or baskets and taken to the drying location. The cherries are spread out in thin layers to dry in the sun. Only special raised drying beds or tables, which are made out of wood posts, are used and covered in a bamboo mat. In order to ensure even drying and to avoid mold, fermentation, or rotting, the cherries are turned 6 times per day. It could take 15 – 21 days for specific lots to reach optimum moisture content depending on the sun access and temperature. This is determined by observing the brightness of the skin and cracking sample dried cherries by teeth. When the drying is complete, the dried cherries are loaded into poly bags and stored in a temporary warehouse. It will then ultimately be transported to the dry mill and warehouse located at Daye town.”