Ethiopia Bekele Kechara
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Country: EthiopiaProducer: Bekele Kechara
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The Bekele Kechara Farm
Bekele Kechara cultivates local landraces and JARC varieties on his two farms in Bensa Daye, Sidamo. One farm is in Hache and the other in Murago, towns within Sidamo. In total, he farms 10 hectares. Bekele is a producer representative for Lalisaa farmers in the Bensa region. He works with Sucafina agronomists to train his fellow farmers in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
Like many farmers in Sidamo, Bekele’s farm is organic-by-default. In addition to coffee, he also cultivates enset (false banana) and fruit trees, which provide shade for coffee trees.
Bekele selectively handpicks ripe, red cherry and processes it on his farm. He lays cherry on raised beds to sundry and rakes cherry frequently to ensure even drying. He covers cherry during the hottest part of the day and overnight. It takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks for cherry to dry.
The Sidamo Region
The Sidamo region of Southern Ethiopia holds the distinction as one of the three trademarked coffee regions of Ethiopia. Alongside Harrar and Yirgacheffe, Sidamo holds a Designation of Origin for coffee grown in the region. That's unsurprising when you consider the high altitudes of 1,550 to 2,200 meters above sea level, plentiful rainfall and fertile soil that makes the coffee grown in this region so remarkable.
The Sidamo region is named after the indigenous ethnic group, the Sidama, who call the region their home. On Sidamo’s Eastern border lies the large regions of Arsi and Bale while to the West, Sidamo is bordered by Gamogofa.
Sidamo lies in the path of the Great Rift Valley and thanks to this, the countryside of Sidamo is lush and green. There are several freshwater lakes that provide drinking and agricultural water and account for the densely populated nature of this region.
The Great Rift Valley spans from the northernmost tip of Ethiopia across Kenya and all the way to the southernmost region of Tanzania. It is home to some of the oldest-known fossils of humankind, which suggests its importance in the early development of humanity.
