Wolichu Wachu washing station was founded in 2017 and serves 4,500 local smallholder producers in and around the town of Haro Wachu, in the Urga district of Guhi in the Oromia region of Ethiopia.
The typical producer here farms on half a hectare of land, and delivers coffee in cherry form to the washing station, where it is processed.
Washed lots like this one are sorted in cherry upon delivery, then depulped and fermented underwater for 48–72 hours. The coffee is then washed and given an additional soak for 8–16 hours before being spread on raised beds to dry for 9–12 days.
This particular lot is a ‘Special Prep’ lot, which means extra care was given to the coffee from start to finish during processing, at the request of Cafe Imports, our sourcing partners in Ethiopia. The cherries were carefully sorted initially, and more beans were removed by hand throughout the processing and drying if they were seen to be defective, damaged, tainted, or otherwise imperfect.
According to the washing station manager, 90 percent of the coffee delivered to the factory is Bourbon, and 10 percent is Typica.
