Ethiopia - Kokose

Elto Coffee is the passion project of Sidama Bensa-based couple Eliyas Dukamo and Atiklit Dejene. Their activities aim to honor every facet of coffee by producing exclusive and outstanding nano-lots. They do this by using the highest quality cherries cultivated and harvested by the smallholder farmers in the proximate communities and processing them through contemporary updates to traditional methods and styles.

They named their company “Elto” which, we learned from Atiklit, means “more than passion” and “abundance” in the Sidamic language. Their aspiration is for every Elto coffee to be the most exciting cup a consumer has ever tasted.

Guided by the values of honesty, respect, and humility to always remain open to learning, they are committed to engaging in meaningful relationships with their connections throughout the value chain, fostering a spirit of dynamic creativity in the industry, and showcasing the Elto rendition of Sidama Bensa coffees to the world. They consider their greatest task to be empowering their partner coffee farmers through more rewarding returns for their assiduous work.

Kokose Village is fast becoming one of the better-known higher-end specialty coffee cultivating communities in Sidama Bensa, sitting at 2,300 masl, not far from more widely renowned localities like Hamasho Village and Bombe Village.

At least 500 of its smallholder coffee farmers are able to grow inherently organic, sugar-rich, and high-quality coffee cherries thanks to the combination of high elevation, beneficial climatic conditions, and well-nourished soils across 1 - 2 hectare plots, alongside other food crops that are the families’ common source of sustenance.

At harvest season, their dense, sugar-rich coffee cherries are selectively handpicked, to prevent harming either the cherries or the trees. As Eliyas and Atiklit engaged the community in knowledge-sharing, they have become better able to fully explore the flavor potential and optimize the value of their coffees through updated cultivation and post-harvest processing best practices.

Eliyas and Atiklit are seasoned specialty coffee professionals with grassroots working experience complementing their solid academic backgrounds. Both of them are professional cuppers trained by the Ethiopian Tea and Coffee Authority.

Eliyas, who graduated with a Bsc in Marketing Management has taken the lead in Daye Bensa Coffee as Operations Manager. Meanwhile Atiklit, who graduated with a BSc in Agriculture focused on Plant Science, has built her career so far by working in Gesha Village as Coffee Processing Manager and in Daye Bensa as Lab Manager for Microlot Processing at harvest time.

‘Ethiopian heirloom’ is the general term commonly used to identify coffee originating from Ethiopia. It covers two classifications: Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) varieties and regional landrace varieties. JARC varieties were developed and released to improve the productivity and livelihood of smallholder coffee farmers, to boost the country's coffee industry.

These varieties are promoted and bred because of their good quality (when grown at the recommended elevations), resistance to or tolerance of adverse elements, and adaptability to diverse environmental conditions. There are 40+ JARC varieties comprised mostly of pure line selections and a handful of hybrids. Regional landraces, meanwhile, are varieties that propagate in the wild, without regulated interventions.



Sidama Bensa-grown 74158, a JARC variety generally observed to express Geisha-esque floral, citrus, and honeyed notes, has consistently ranked among the best at the Ethiopia Cup of Excellence and fetched the highest prices at the auction.

For this lot, the perfectly ripe, hand-harvested, and carefully pre-cleaned cherries were placed directly onto the plastic net of raised wooden beds built at a height of 120cm. They were spread out evenly with 3 - 5cm thickness for proper air circulation above and below. Women processing workers stirred the cherries every 20 to 30 minutes to facilitate uniform drying. Between the 10th – 14th day, the initial checks for moisture were done. The cherries spent a total of 18 to 21 days in the drying phase until the target moisture level was reached.

As a result of this process, this cup expresses the floral and citrus character Sidama Bensa-grown 74158 are known for, with berry sweetness and hints of pleasantly earthy and nutty notes reminiscent of the fragrant rooibos tea.