From Cafe Imports

Idido

The Idido Washing Station, located in the Idido village, or kebele, and operated by Ardent Coffee Exporter, serves the villages surrounding Yirgacheffe town, including Idido, Aricha, Worka, Chelbesa, and Halabariti. 1200 farmers regularly deliver cherry throughout the November-January harvest season.

The Malebo Project is a coffee line by Idido Washing Station, exclusive to Cafe Imports, where Grade 1 seeds from the Idido area were specifically selected and washed. This was Idido’s only washed coffee this season. The coffee was hand-sorted throughout the entire 18-day drying process and then rested for four weeks before milling, once the seeds had reached a consistent moisture content of 11.2%.

$0.10 per pound from the Malebo proceeds supports the Ardent Children Center, a local orphanage built and funded by Ardent Coffee Exporter. The ACC was established to provide orphan and semi-orphan children with adequate food, healthcare, education, and play, ensuring a safe and happy childhood.

Washed Special Prep

With the special prep (what the producers generally call “Premium” in Ethiopia) the cherries are collected from a limited number of small-holder farmers. 

90% of the cherries are perfectly picked, the right red color. 5% semi red and 5% overripe. 

All of it is processed and stored it separately from the other lots. They generally produce a very small number of bags in this way every year. 

In most instances, cherries used to produce these lots are collected from a day lot (picked in one day). 

The process of producing Washed coffees in Ethiopia will vary slightly from washing station to washing station, but generally speaking the coffee is picked ripe and depulped the same day. There is usually a fermentation period of 8–12 hours in open-air tanks, then washed in water channels to remove the mucilage. The coffee seeds will be spread on raised beds to dry for 5–15 days, depending on the weather.