Key Origin Info: Producer: Small-holder growers delivering cherry to Lalesa station Processed at: Lalesa station owned and managed by Ephtah Speciality Coffee Region: Gedeb woreda, Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia Altitude: 2000 masl Variety: Cultivated landrace varieties Process: Sorted, cleaned , fermented in barrels for nine days before being dried on raised beds Exporter: Ephtah Coffee | Importer: Falcon Speciality Cup profile: Jammy mouthfeel, boozy peach & tropical fruits Purchase history: 2 seasons from Ephtah Coffees and Lalesa station (2024, 2025) More about Lalesa & Ephtah Speciality Coffee: Lalesa is a processing site based in the Gedeb area of Guji Zone in southern Ethiopia, purchasing coffee from nearby small-holder growers. The site is run by **Ephtah** - a community focused exporter. Established by **Wubit Bekele, Ephtah is committed to delivering outstanding quality coffee whilst improving the lives within their communities, with particular focus on promoting the role of women** as being the main drivers of positive social and economic change in Ethiopia. Lalesa station is Ephtah’s key processing station and the largest one if the Gedeb region. It employs 20 permanent staff and boasts 350 drying beds. During harvest the station provides income to further 250 seasonal workers. This particular lot is processed as using an “anaerobic natural” method where sorted and cleaned cherries first undergo a fermentation in closed plastic barrels before being dried on raised beds for around 13 - 138 days. During the drying cherries are sorted for defects before the coffee is eventually de-husked and further sorted at the dry mill.<br /><br/> As Ephtah explains: > The majority of low paying seasonal labour is provided by women but very few farms are women owned. In addition, those farms are often less productive as women have less access to resources – primarily inputs, finance, and training. Our approach has two main pillars: > 1. **Providing women with the skills and knowledge to enhance economic empowerment - **Ephtah provides training programs around production and quality analysis to help improve women’s knowledge and confidence. This often leads to an improvement in their access to finance which can lead to dramatic improvements in their standard of living. > > **2. Strengthening women’s voice and participation in decision making and leadership - **Ephtah helps to create safe spaces for women in the communities we source from. We collaborate with local groups to encourage women in the community to become involved in local decision-making processes and leadership positions. Ephtah further supports women through the AMA Commitment with initiative including diversifying sources of income and running daycare centre for growers’ children during harvest time. Lalesa station is Ephtah’s key processing station and the largest one if the Gedeb region. It employs 20 permanent staff and boasts 350 drying beds. During harvest the station provides income to further 250 seasonal workers. <br/> <br/> This is our second year of purchasing coffee from Lalesa and Ephtah exporters and we are delighted to feature this exquisite Red Honey lot as our Festive Filter for the second season!