Sidama Yaye

Built in 2021, Yaye Washing Station is driven by careful experimentation. The Odakko Project brings together 50 nearby smallholders, using selected cherries and clean processing to capture a single variety at its peak.

This coffee is the result of a four year study into how to create a one of a kind flavour profile. Focusing on a single variety grown at up to 2,300 meters, the team harvests only in the late afternoon to keep fermentation controlled. The cherries dry for twenty eight days in a specific part of the station that gets more wind and less direct sun. This slow pace, followed by a six week rest, allows the dark chocolate and red wine notes to fully develop. It is a very deliberate way of working that puts Yaye on the specialty map.

This natural process coffee is what the locals call Premium. It is a very small production where every bag is stored on its own. The farmers focus on picking the cherries at peak ripeness, usually all in one day. Once sorted and rinsed, the coffee sits on raised tables. Depending on the sun and wind, it stays there for anywhere from eight to twenty five days. It is a slow, manual process that requires constant turning by hand.