FLOW STATE Espresso

This lot comes from farmers in the Gotiti kebele, in the Gedeb district of the Yirgacheffe region, where farms sit outside the village at altitudes of 2,100 to 2,170 meters above sea level. Cherries are purchased locally after harvest and processed at a wet mill covering 2.5 hectares. The vertically integrated supplier, Eyasu Lole, oversees sourcing from both male and female farmers throughout the surrounding area. During the harvest season, which runs from October through early January, Eyasu employs around 7 permanent staff and 15 temporary workers, reflecting the seasonal demands of the work.

While this lot is not certified under any formal sustainability scheme, Ephtah Coffee's commitment to ethical sourcing and community development runs through every part of its operations. The company works closely with producers, offering agronomic training, post-harvest support, and price risk management, built on long-term relationships and transparency that ensure farmers receive fair compensation and technical support.

Ephtah is especially dedicated to empowering women in coffee. Through its Ama Commitment initiative, the company supports female farmers with pre-financing, drying infrastructure at Lalesa, help renewing and maintaining third-party partner stations, and tailored training, improving coffee quality while fostering economic independence and leadership among women in the community. Many of Ephtah's own team members are women, and the company actively promotes inclusive decision-making and safe working environments. Rooted in Ethiopia's rich coffee heritage, Ephtah Coffee and its funder, Wubit, blend tradition with innovation, producing coffees that are exceptional in quality and deeply connected to the people and land they come from.

The coffee is composed of indigenous heirloom varieties, grown under the shade of false banana trees (Enset), a traditional agroforestry practice that supports soil health and biodiversity while also providing a food source used to make Kocho, a staple food in the area.

After harvest, cherries are sorted and floated before undergoing a fully washed process, which includes 12 hours of dry fermentation. The washed coffee is then sun-dried on African raised beds over a period of 12 to 15 days.

In botanical terms, heirloom varieties are plants passed down through generations, often within families, known for their historical significance and cultural heritage. In Ethiopia, "heirloom" is often used as a catch-all term for any variety native to the country. Estimates suggest there are between 10,000 and 15,000 heirloom varieties in Ethiopia today, most of which have not been formally genetically identified.

While many heirloom varieties originate as wild plants, some have been selected for their desirable qualities and cultivated on coffee farms across the country.

Heirloom varieties typically fall into two categories: JARC varieties and regional landraces. JARC varieties are developed and researched by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre for desirable characteristics, such as greater disease resistance or increased yield. In contrast, regional landraces are varieties that have evolved naturally over generations, adapting to their specific environments.

The washed process was designed to minimize the risk of off-flavours caused by uncontrolled fermentation during the natural process. Cherries are typically sorted using a flotation tank, where under-ripe or defective fruits float to the top and can be removed. The remaining cherries are then pulped and left in a tank to ferment until the sticky fruit mucilage is soft enough to be washed off the parchment, a paper-like layer surrounding the seed.

The design and cleanliness of the tanks used for fermentation are crucial, and the type, degree and speed of microbial activity depends on various factors. These include the amount of fruit remaining, the presence of bacteria and yeasts, whether the tank is filled with water, and the environmental conditions.

Once the mucilage has sufficiently degraded, it's washed away with water. The remaining parchment coffee, as it's commonly called, is then dried until it reaches a safe moisture content. The bacteria-rich and sugary water used in the process must be treated carefully, as it can cause algae blooms if it enters streams and rivers.

In situations where large amounts of coffee are processed in bulk, such as in Ethiopia, some operations have found it economical to use a mechanical demucilager. This device removes all the fruit from the parchment with minimal water, bypassing the fermentation stage entirely. However, some believe this leads to a reduction in cup quality, as many flavour precursors are created through fermentation.