ETHIOPIA - SIDAMO - BONA - "GRADE 1" - WASHED

OVERVIEW:

Explore the bright and complex character of Ethiopia Sidamo Bona G1 Washed, grown in the highlands of the Bona district in Sidamo. This fully washed lot is produced by the Bona Cooperative and reflects the vibrant intensity the region is becoming known for. With crisp stone fruit notes and a honey-smooth finish, this coffee is a beautiful expression of Ethiopia’s unmatched coffee heritage and biodiversity.

PRODUCER:

The Bona Cooperative is a collective of smallholder farmers in the Bona Zuria district of Sidamo. These producers cultivate indigenous landrace and JARC-developed varieties using traditional methods—without chemical inputs and with a focus on organic-by-default farming. Coffee is often intercropped with food crops, supporting both land health and household nutrition. Farmers hand-pick ripe cherries and deliver them to the cooperative’s wet mill for processing.

ALTITUDE AND LOCATION:

Situated in the fertile highlands of the Sidamo Zone, coffee is grown at elevations between 1,900 and 2,300 meters above sea level. The Bona district lies near the celebrated Bombe region and shares similar growing conditions—rich soil, misty microclimates, and strong daily temperature shifts that support slow cherry maturation and flavour development. The area is gaining recognition for producing coffees with exceptional brightness and floral clarity.

PROCESSING:

This lot is fully washed, with ripe cherries selectively handpicked and delivered to the Bona wet mill. There, they undergo depulping, fermentation, and thorough washing before being dried on raised beds under careful supervision. The cooperative employs strict quality control, sorting multiple times during drying to ensure only the best parchment coffee is selected for export.

TRACEABILITY & MARKET ACCESS:

Thanks to reforms in Ethiopia’s coffee export laws since 2017, the Bona Cooperative is able to export coffee with full traceability. These changes have allowed smallholder producers greater access to specialty markets, enabling them to invest in quality-improving infrastructure and receive fairer prices for their work.

This coffee shines as a clean and juicy filter roast. Its stone fruit sweetness and lingering honeyed body make it a crowd-pleaser with both pour-over and batch brew methods. We roast it lightly to preserve its bright acidity and delicate complexity.