Demeka Becha

The story

Demeka Becha is a washing station located on a hilltop near the village of Becha in the Bona Zuria district of Sidama, Ethiopia. The site is owned and managed by Ayele Tulu, his wife Genet Haile Endeshow, and their son Tsegab Ayele. The station sources coffee cherries from approximately 10,000 smallholder farmers across the surrounding communities.

Challenges

The station must manage the logistical complexity of sourcing cherries from nearly 10,000 individual smallholder producers. Additionally, washed processing at the site requires significant water resources and infrastructure compared to natural processing methods.

Innovations

The station utilizes its hilltop location to optimize airflow for drying beds and has experimented with intentional processing techniques, such as fermenting cherries in sealed barrels to influence the final flavor profile.