Matriarch Series - Ethiopia, Mrs. Gemedech
ORIGINALLY RELEASED
November 2022
HIGHLIGHTS
Matriarch Series: Showcases coffee produced by women
Origin: Ethiopia - Idedo, Yirgacheffe
Single Farmer Lot - Mrs. Gemedech
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
For starters, blackberries, deep purple grapes, and juicy black plums. Light roasts - Expect a light body and a clean finish. Medium roasts - A little more OOMPH in the mouthfeel with a nuttier taste. Delicious all around! Dark roasts - Something extra rich and chocolatey.
This is a natural processed coffee, which means the beans were dried in their full coffee cherry casing prior to being pulped. The natural process is commonly used in coffee-producing regions with limited access to water. Typically, coffees processed with this method express fruitier and more fermented flavors; the beans spend more time in contact with the outer “skin” and fruit of the coffee cherry.
ORIGIN STORY
Our Matriarch Series showcases coffee from female producers. This coffee comes from Mrs. Gemedech Fulasa and her farm in the Idedo region of Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. It’s novel and incredibly difficult for female coffee farmers in Ethiopia to own the land on which they farm. In Gedeo culture in particular, land inheritance is reserved for male heirs. However, Mrs. Gemedech was the only child in her family and thus was able to inherit the 4.5 hectare coffee farm from her father.
Farming is in Mrs. Gemedech’s blood. Before inheriting the coffee farm, she and her husband supported their family of four through kocho trade. Kocho is a local staple source of carbohydrates – a fermented bread-like food, made from the starchy pulp of enset (“false banana” or “ethiopian banana”) trees. Today, Mrs. Gemedech supplements her coffee farming income by continuing to plant and cultivate enset. As an added bonus, the enset trees collect water inside their trunks during the rainy season, and release this water into the ground during the dry season; this helps the soil naturally retain moisture year-round.
Today, Mrs. Gemedech’s land is a garden farm – coffee is grown under shade and mixed with other fruits and food staples using regenerative farming practices. Compost is made of fallen leaves and coffee pulp from local mills. Finally, Mrs. Gemedech processes her harvest using the natural/sun-dried method, as opposed to the more water-intensive “washed” method. Her environmental waste and impact are minimal.
Mrs. Gemedech has made a reputation for herself in Yirgacheffe, not just as one of the best and few female farmers in the famed coffee-growing region, but also as one of the highest quality coffee farmers overall. For these beans, Mrs. Gemedech received close to 90% of the FOB (Freight-on-Board) export price, a feat in comparison to what other farmers in the area have achieved/are able to achieve, and a specific point to celebrate especially because of her gender.
For breaking tradition and shattering expectations (all in the name of good coffee), we’re absolutely inspired to help tell Mrs. Gemedech’s story through this offering!
MORE ABOUT THE MATRIARCH SERIES
Our Matriarch Series exclusively highlights coffee from female producers worldwide. Women play a major role in coffee production, often performing the hardest and most critical manual labor, while juggling their responsibilities of managing the household. These superwomen not only rarely get the spotlight, they also lack the same access to capital and resources as their male counterparts. Our intent with this series is to not only celebrate the amazing women in the coffee supply chain, but also to ensure they are paid a premium for their hard work and to work directly with organizations that have committed to improving equity for women in the coffee value chain wherever possible.
