Danche

The story

The Danche washing station was established in 2019 by Neguesse Debela, who had previously begun operating a site in Worka Chelbessa in 2017. The station serves approximately 800 to 950 local smallholder farmers in the Gedeb sub-region of Gedeo. It has since become a consistent source of high-quality coffee through partnerships with various international roasters.

Challenges

Transporting harvested coffee cherries from smallholder farms to the washing station is described as difficult labor due to the terrain. Additionally, the station manages the logistical complexity of processing cherries from both contracted farmers and occasional outside producers.

Innovations

The station is actively developing experimental processing lots to refine quality and has supported its contracted farmers in obtaining organic certification. Specific processing techniques documented include varied fermentation protocols, such as underwater fermentation, dry fermentation in barrels, and holding cherries in-shade before de-pulping.