New! Farm Traceable Coffee: Natural Ethiopia Lot

Fruity, sweet, and everything we love about a natural process coffee from Ethiopia. Introducing our Mengeche Derso Ethiopia Natural. It’s bursting with aroma and flavor notes of peach, blueberry, cherry & pear crisp, Sweet Tarts, and apricot. A highly enjoyable Ethiopia natural process that is also a game changer in promoting farm traceable coffee in Ethiopia.

Part of Cafe Imports Single Farmer Project, this coffee was grown by Mengeche Derso on his 15 hectares of land in the highlands of the Gedeo Zone in Yirgacheffe (an area known for producing some of the world’s best coffee). At 62, Mengeche has spent his life growing coffee and his dedication to producing top-quality coffee has earned him recognition from government organizations and coffee buyers alike. Today, he works with 4 of his 12 children on his farm to continue producing high quality coffees that set him apart.

The Single Farmer Project was created by our friends at Cafe Imports in an effort to support Ethiopian producers with a marketplace for farm-traceable coffees. In 2012, during a turbulent time in Ethiopia’s coffee exporting history, Cafe Import’s Jason Long worked with an established cooperative to export some of the first ever truly traceable lots from Ethiopia. This was the first time a roaster could highlight an individual producer of their Ethiopia coffee lot (whereas before coffees were all sold at a government-run auction and smallholder farmer lots were combined to produce larger lots). The Single Farmer Project was the start of an incredible journey that truly began the movement for traceability in Ethiopia. This project is made possible in conjunction with important export partners supporting and bringing to market individual farmer lots. Samples are sent out to potential buyers, price is negotiated on the farmers’ behalf, and contracts are only accepted when the producer agrees on a sales price and their name is on the contract for each coffee they sell. “Our goals with this project would be to help garner and develop long-term relationships between the producers we are already working with and coffee roasting companies that share in the values of transparency, traceability, and relationship that this program represents,” says Claudia, green-coffee buyer for Cafe Imports.

Learn more about JBC, six time Good Food Award winners and named one of the best coffee roasters in the U.S. by Forbes and Gear Patrol with over 340 90 plus rated coffees at the Coffee Review. The Chicago Tribune called JBC one of Wisconsin’s standout roasters and the Daily Meal said our espresso will elevate your mornings. We are focused on quality-driven, sustainable coffees.

Unparalleled quality, a human story, and sustainability – that’s our coffee philosophy.

Unparalleled quality. We won’t buy a coffee unless we know that it will inspire you.
A human story. Often times a producer’s story gets lost in the coffee supply chain. It’s our focus to provide a seed to cup experience, honoring everyone involved.
Sustainability. We purchase sustainable coffees directly from producers and through brokers who share our goal of making coffee a sustainable commodity. Financially and environmentally, the coffees we purchase seek balance.