Producer: Tamiru Tadesse / Alo Coffee Farm: Alo Village Location: Bensa, Sidama Variety: 74158 Process: Anaerobic Honey Altitude: 2,450 masl Fermentation: ▪▪▫▫▫ Sweetness: ▪▪▪▪▫ Acidity: ▪▪▪▫▫ Roast: ▪▫▫▫▫ Tamiru Tadesse established Alo Coffee Export Plc, quickly gaining a reputation among specialty coffee connoisseurs. In 2021, Tamiru won 1st Place at the Ethiopia Cup of Excellence, aiming to bring recognition to Sidama Bensa coffee farmers. His experience in coffee revealed a disconnect between the high quality of his hometown's coffees and their undervaluation. Inspired by a friend's 2020 Ethiopia Cup of Excellence win, Tamiru founded Alo Coffee to help smallholders process high-quality, organic cherries and connect them with specialty coffee communities that value their efforts. Alo Village, located at over 2,400 masl, hosts the company’s processing headquarters where local coffee growers bring their cherries. Smallholder farmers, typically with 1-2 hectare parcels, rely on coffee, false banana, and maize for income. Alo Coffee supports these communities by purchasing cherries at a significant premium, ensuring a decent income for household needs and education. They also provide knowledge-sharing on agronomy, cultivation, and farm maintenance, and fund community development projects like building schools. By overseeing post-harvest processing, Alo Coffee allows farmers to focus on maintaining land and coffee tree health, reducing risks and costs. ‘Ethiopian heirloom’ varieties, including JARC (Jimma Agricultural Research Center) and regional landraces, are commonly used. JARC varieties are bred for quality, disease resistance, and adaptability. Sidama Bensa-grown 74158, a JARC variety, is noted for floral, citrus, and honeyed notes, and has consistently ranked high in the Ethiopia Cup of Excellence. The Archers Lot represents the co-founders’ creative approach to specialty coffee, collaborating with producing partners. This 120-hour anaerobic honey process involves hand-harvested, perfectly ripe cherries brought to Alo Washing Station. Cherries are screened, sorted for uniformity, pre-cleaned, and then placed in plastic barrels for an oxygen-free fermentation. After 120 hours, de-pulped cherries are spread thinly on raised beds for sun-drying, preventing extraneous microbial activity. The target moisture level is achieved in 14-18 days. This process results in a cup with intense floral and citrus aromatics, complemented by sweet succulence and a smooth, crisp tea-like character.