Ethiopia - Elto - Elora Station River Flow Honey CF5

Elto Coffee is the passion project of Sidama Bensa-based couple Eliyas Dukamo and Atiklit Dejene. Its name comes from a Sidamic word meaning “more than passion” and “abundance” — an intention that quietly shapes every cup they produce.

Both trained as professional cuppers by the Ethiopian Tea and Coffee Authority, Eliyas and Atiklit approach coffee with a rare closeness to both craft and community. Their work explores flavor potential while honoring value at origin, connecting technical knowledge with meaningful collaboration with neighboring smallholder farmers.

Here, coffee is an act of care. Elto’s nano-lot approach focuses on producing coffees that have a story: grown from carefully selected cherries, harvested in small volumes, and processed through thoughtful adaptations of traditional methods. This is luxury guided by curiosity rather than excess.

Their attention has carried Elto coffees onto the global stage, appearing in championship cups — including those brewed by the winner of the Golden Bean East Asia Champion 2025. Each lot reflects a belief that when care leads the process, the cup has a way of speaking for itself.

“Ethiopian heirloom” speaks to two genetic lineages: JARC varieties and regional landraces. Developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center, JARC selections are bred for resilience, adaptability, and quality, while landraces grow freely in the wild and remain shaped by generations of place rather than intervention.

Both find their way into Elto’s coffees, with processing acting as the bridge between genetics and terroir.

Washed lots are pulped and carefully fermented, then dried slowly on shaded African beds, revealing brightness and structure. Naturals dry as whole cherries over time, building depth, sweetness, and fruit-forward expression. Honey processes sit between the two, keeping just enough mucilage to lend florality, roundness, and texture.

They also employ an experimental post-processing technique known as River Flow Fermentation, which seals fresh cherries in bags and submerges them in running water to undergo anaerobic fermentation. Here, adjusted timings and experimentation with microbial activity guide flavor while honoring what the coffee already carries.