SWEET & FRUITY

Origin: Ethiopia
Region: Gedeb, Yirgacheffe
Producer: EDN Banko Chelchele
Altitude: 1900 - 2300 masl
Variety: Heirloom
Process: Super Natural
Roast level: Espresso - Medium roast
SCA Score: 87.75 p.

This coffee comes from the village of Banko Chelchele in Gedeb, Southern Ethiopia, within the renowned Yirgacheffe coffee-growing region. It is exported by EDN, an Ethiopian specialty coffee company recognized for its close partnerships with smallholder farmers and its commitment to producing high-quality, fully traceable coffees. Farming in the area is deeply rooted in local knowledge, family traditions, and community-based harvesting practices.

The Chelchele washing station has developed a "Super Natural Process" that emphasizes the best qualities of naturally processed Ethiopian coffee. During the harvest season, coffee cherries are hand-picked with careful attention to ripeness and quality. Only carefully selected cherries are placed in sealed, oxygen-free tanks, where they undergo controlled fermentation for approximately 36 to 48 hours. Then coffee cherries are slowly dried for around 27 to 30 days. This method is designed to extend the drying process, allowing gradual chemical changes to occur within the beans before milling and preparation for export.

LIGHT & JUICY

Origin: Rwanda 
Region: Nyabihu District
Producer: Smallholder producers
Altitude: 1800-2000 masl.
Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Washed
Roast level: Light roast
SCA Score: 84.75 points

Built in 2017, Shyira is a washing station situated at 2,000 meters above sea level, collecting cherries from neighbouring smallholder producers. This is among the highest-grown coffee we know of in Rwanda, from a region where very few washing stations exist, making it especially unique. Cherries are handpicked on remote mountain plots and carried down narrow paths to be carefully sorted, washed, fermented, and dried on raised beds beneath alternating sun and fog.

Coffee cherries are hand-sorted to remove underripe fruit and foreign matter. They are then floated in pre-pulping tanks to separate floaters before being pulped. Next, the coffee is fermented in concrete tanks for an average of 12 hours. During this stage, the parchment is continuously agitated through ceremonial foot-stomping to help remove residual mucilage and separate lower-density parchment. Each washing station has its own song for the foot-stomping ceremony, which is sung to build pride and a sense of ownership among workers.
After fermentation, the coffee passes through a serpentine grading channel, where parchment is separated by density. After the final rinse, coffee is moved to a pre-drying area, where it is hand-sorted again to remove insect-damaged, discoloured, or chipped beans. It is then dried for around 30 days, regularly turned during peak sun hours and covered at night. Once fully dried, the green coffee is ready for export.

LIGHT & JUICY

Origin: Ethiopia 
Region: Gedeb, Chelbesa
Producer: Ephtah Specialty Coffee
Altitude: 2200 masl.
Variety: Heirloom
Process: Washed
Roast level: Light roast
CVA Score: 86.25 p.

Ephtah Specialty Coffee builds sustainable supply chains across Ethiopia, focusing on quality, long-term partnerships, and supporting producer communities. The company also highlights the important role of women in coffee production and local economic development.

This lot comes from Chelbesa in the Gedeb woreda and was processed at an Ephtah-operated washing station. Grown under shade alongside enset (false banana), the coffee is produced by smallholder farmers cultivating local heirloom varieties and harvested from December to January.

At Chelbesa, the best cherries are selected and floated before processing. For this lot, the coffee is pulped and then fermented in tanks without water. After fermentation, the coffee is dried on raised beds for around 10 to 15 days.  

FULL & CREAMY

Origin: Timor-Leste
Region: Ermera
Producer: Raimutin Wet Mill 
Altitude: 1400 - 1600 masl.
Variety: Hibrido de Timor, Moka, Typica
Process: Washed
Roast: Espresso
SCA Score: 82.75 pts

Timor-Leste is one of the world’s youngest countries, gaining independence in 2002. As the country’s oil reserves begin to run dry, improving the coffee sector became critically important. Coffee is the country’s second-largest export after oil, with around 37% of households depending on it for income. Our partner, Raw Material, works with coffee producers in Ermera, home to some of Timor-Leste’s highest coffee production. Despite its potential, the region faces low productivity and volatile prices, making investment in coffee quality and processing especially important.
In 2018, Raw Material built the Raimutin Wet Mill in Atsabe, Ermera. Designed in-house and using locally available materials, the mill was created to improve coffee quality while keeping the process simple and efficient. Sitting at 1,400 metres above sea level, it serves as a central hub for purchasing, processing, and drying coffee from producers across the municipality - as well as a meeting place for local communities and Raw Material.
This coffee is part of that ongoing effort to build a stronger and more sustainable coffee sector in Timor-Leste.

SWEET & FRUITY

Origin: Costa Rica
Region: Central Valley
Producer: Alberto & Diego Guardia
Altitude: 1400 masl.
Variety: Obata
Process: Natural
Roast level: Light roast
CVA Score: 87.5 pts

Hacienda Sonora is located at the foot of Poas Volcano in Carrillo, Alajuela. The farm covers approximately 100 hectares, including 65 hectares of shaded coffee and 35 hectares of wild forest reserve. Coffee is grown here surrounded by diverse trees and other vegetation, providing excellent conditions for production and improving the chemistry of the already rich volcanic soil. 
Alberto Guardia is the fourth generation of coffee producers in his family. In 1999, during a period of historically low coffee prices, Alberto invested in a mill for the estate and became a pioneer in alternative processing methods in the area, implementing Honey and Natural processing to his production. Hacienda Sonora has now been in the family for more than a century. Alberto’s son Diego joined the operation as co-manager in 2011 and now represents the fifth generation of coffee producers in the Guardia family.

Today, all coffee from Sonora is processed using Honey or Natural methods to develop distinct sweetness and enhanced fruit notes. This lot of Obata underwent Natural processing and was dried on large black sheets made of braided plastic threads, known as zaran.
The harvested cherries are first floated in fresh spring water to remove defects and field impurities, then spread in thin layers on the zaran and dried in direct sunlight. At the end of each day, the sheets are rolled up with a tractor and stacked overnight. Drying takes around two weeks, until the coffee reaches 14% humidity. The coffee is then stored in Sonora’s warehouse to rest. Shortly before milling, the drying process is completed in mechanical dryers known as “guardiolas.”

Thousands of young people in Latvia are too young to feel unwanted. Yet, this is their reality. Growing up without a supportive family, they lack an adult by their side who can listen, help them overcome challenges, and encourage them to believe in themselves and their abilities.

Mentor Latvia is the only organisation in Latvia offering these young people individual and group mentoring, helping them build self-confidence and integrate more successfully into society.

By purchasing this WHAT IS IMPORTANT?  coffee tin, you donate €3 to support young people.

We created this work with a focus on what truly matters in life. It is the result of a six-month research process. Each of us contributed a part of ourselves, creating a shared story about trust, openness and self-belief. May it help you find your own focus - the things that empower you, inspire you and encourage you to do good.

With warmth, Katrīna, Ingrīda, Marlēna, Kate, Elza, Astrīda, Emīlija, Kristīne, Gustavs, Undīne, Diāna, Marta, Una, Alise, Elīza and Elza Ingrīda.

More information about Mentor Latvia: https://mentor.lv/atbalsti/

Light&Juicy

Origin: Panama
Region: Alto Quiel
Producer: El Velo farm
Altitude: 1700+ masl.
Variety: Gesha
Process: Washed
CVA: 87 p.

Landrace Blend is a mix of coffees that are part of a research project started in 2007 by Hacienda La Esmeralda. For this research, 400 coffee accessions were planted in El Velo farm. Since then, every year, each variety is washed processed, dried and evaluated individually. The results are monitored and analysed to find new exceptional coffee varieties. After the yearly evaluation is done, the best performing accessions are mixed to create Landrace Blend – very delicate coffee with famous characteristics of Panamian Gesha.