Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union
This Coffee's History
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2024-2025Schools in Telamo and Boa Bedegelo (Sidama Cooperative)
Ethiopia is known as the birthplace of coffee - and they know how to grow those beans! Our coffee comes from the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, made up of 34 member coops spread throughout the central plateau of Sidama.
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.
Following a 2023 visit with farming partners, nursery leaders, and school communities in Telamo and Boa Bedegelo, this collaboration responded to needs identified locally. Resources supported essential school infrastructure and learning materials, including desks, computers, books, and funding for teachers and staff.