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From Harmony Coffee Roasters

This is the third time that we have featured coffee from the Daye Bensa smallholders. The coffee is grown on small plots of land in the village of Keramo, in the region of Argebona at around 2200MASL, which is the highest area in Ethiopia where coffee is grown. Arbegona is one of the 30 districts in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia, within the Sidama Zone. It is surrounded by Bona Zuria to the south, Bursa to the southwest, Gorche to the northwest, the Oromia Region to the north, and Bensa to the east. The main town is also called Arbegona. Coffee is the main cash crop in Arbegona, but farmers also grow sugar cane, false banana, spices, and vegetables. The coffee cherries are sorted by density and quality by floating them in large water tanks. After sorting, the cherries are dried on raised beds with mesh nets, and are rotated every 30 minutes to ensure even drying and to control fermentation. Drying usually takes 12-15 days, depending on the weather. Once dried, the cherries are stored in warehouses to develop their flavour.