Bekele Belacho Kokose Natural

This limited natural-process lot from Sidama opens with aromas of berry jam, brandied cherry, and honeysuckle. Navel orange and dried blueberry notes mingle with a bit of milk chocolate in the round-bodied cup, alongside pleasant golden raspberry acidity. The finish features chamomile and spice cookie.

Details

Producer: Bekele Belacho Farm: Kokose Region: Bensa, Sidama Altitude: 2,200 masl | 7,218 feet Varietal: ECX 74158, 74110, Heirlooms Process: Natural Roast: Light Notes: Navel Orange, Chamomile, Berry Jam

The Story

This limited offering comes from our friends at Crop to Cup, who were Bekele Belacho's very first direct-export customer back in 2019.

Cherries are collected from Bekele’s farm, sorted for quality, and dried on raised beds for 16-18 days. After a resting period in the dried skins, cherries are trucked to nearby Kokosa for primary milling.

"The de-facto leader and organizer of a collective of independent smallholder farmer-exporters around Bensa, Bekele operates his farms and drying stations with the help of his family. His son, Beleteno, who graduated this year from Hawassa University with an economics degree, manages Hora Ganet ("Spring Paradise") farm. Between his farm in Bombe and a smaller, 5 hectare farm in Kokose with its own drying station, Bekele purchases cherry from more than 100 smallholders, producing a total of 1.5 containers of coffee.

"Like many collectors in Ethiopia, his bottleneck, with cherry prices as high as they are, is financing. Bekele is a connector and a consummate professional—an ideal partner, willing to engage with every idea for improving his coffee and helping his community. During our visit, Bekele expanded his shaded drying area to cover nearly his entire station, protecting his natural process coffees—traditional, anaerobic and lactic styles—and verifying their final moisture content with a moisture meter."

The Bekele Belacho Kokose Natural, sourced from the Bensa district of Sidama, Ethiopia, represents the meticulous work of producer Bekele Belacho. This lot features Heirloom coffee varieties grown at 2200 masl. As a natural-processed coffee, it undergoes a drying method where the fruit remains intact with the seed, a technique often associated with pronounced sweetness and complex acidity.

Roasted by PT's Coffee Roasting, this selection highlights the distinct profile of the region, characterized by notes of navel orange, chamomile, and berry jam. When evaluating such nuanced profiles, enthusiasts often consult a flavor wheel to better identify the interplay between the bright citrus and deep fruit tones. This coffee serves as a compelling example of how specific regional conditions and traditional processing methods converge to create a unique sensory experience, reflecting the high-altitude terroir of the Bensa landscape.