Washed Ethiopian Sidama Boa Bedegelo

Ethiopia is the famed birthplace of coffee, and the Sidama region remains one of its most celebrated growing areas. Our Ethiopian coffees come from two member coops in the Sidama Union, a natural processed coffee from Telamo and a washed coffee from Boa Bedegalo. Both are members of the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, a network of 34 member co-ops and more than 80,000 smallholder farmers across the central plateau. Each farm averages less than a hectare, (1 hectare = just under 2.5 acres) but together they produce some of the most storied and distinctive coffees in the world.

We’ve partnered with the farmers of Sidama for many years, becoming one of the first to introduce Fair Trade, Organic Ethiopian coffee to the U.S. in 2008. But our connection in Sidama goes far beyond coffee. Since 2014, we've worked alongside Grounds for Health to support cervical cancer prevention and treatment in Ethiopian coffee communities. Together, we’ve helped screen more than 62,000 women and provide life-saving treatment for over 5,500, ensuring that the same communities growing this extraordinary coffee also gain access to critical care.

In addition to supporting Grounds for Health, we have helped to fund reforestation efforts, coffee seedling and native hardwood nurseries, and schools in the Telamo and Boa Bedegelo communities. 

Farmers from Sidama cultivate coffees that shine with the unique fruitiness and subtle earthy tones associated with the best Ethiopian beans. Grown at some of the highest coffee growing altitudes in the world and processed using the traditional sun-dried method, this coffee is bright, vibrant, and fruity, balanced with a smooth finish that consistently ranks among the finest we see each harvest. Sidama’s washed coffees have the trademark lemony citrus and floral notes that frequently reach 90 points on the cupping scale.