Malawo – Ethiopia

Malawo is named after honey in the Sidama language.

The coffee is sourced from Shantawene, Sidama and it is a contribution of 563 Daye Bensa member farmers from the SHANTAWENE area and Gatta Daye Bensa Farm. The coffee is processed as a Yellow  Honey, unusual for Ethiopia but the guys at Daye Bensa decided to start doing it to try to be at the forefront of the market and they are executing.

Daye Bensa micro-lots are limited production, this approach helps them to focus on the quality of the beans. As soon as the coffee is received it gets sorted by floating and picking out the ripe cherries. Then dry it on African beds for 13-15 days; one person is assigned per each individual bed to rotate the cherries every 15 minutes to ensure uniformity of drying.

At Daye Bensa traceability is extremely important for their micro-lots. The record-keeping book is carefully handled and separation is key to guarantee the highest level of quality. When the cherries are received they got separate by village, the coffee is then kept separate throughout drying, processing, and storage, with labels stating the delivery dates, farm name, lot number, and more details related to the particular lot. Daye Bensa is a particularly "Community" oriented business delivering additional bonus payment to the farmers based on the volume they contribute to the Micro-lots and they reward consistency year in year out. This year they are also rewarding their workers at the farm for the crucial role they have during the drying process. At last, they are constantly working with the school principal in the villages surrounding the farm providing school materials for the students that struggle with their basic needs such as note pads or pens.