Gara Agena

Gara Agena is a privately-owned washing station that is located in the Bura woreda (administrative district) in Ethiopia’s Sidama zone. The washing station is found in the kebele (local village) of Karamo, and is one of twenty owned and managed by Testi Coffee, a family-owned company founded by Mr Faysel A. Yonis.

Gara Agena produces exceptional natural and special preparation lots. The washing station was built by Testi in 2020 as one of their ‘Premium’ facilities, which are selected for their natural advantages – including the surrounding region’s characteristics and access to fresh, clean water. By choosing sites in areas favoured with great growing conditions and paying premiums for properly harvested fruit, Testi ensures they only receive extremely high quality cherry, resulting in outstanding complexity and distinction in the resulting cup.

The washing station was constructed on the slopes surrounding the Geta River, at a staggering 2,300m above sea level. The river runs in a U-shape around the African raised beds, creating a cool micro-climate that slows down the drying of the coffee.

During harvest, freshly picked coffee cherry is delivered daily by some 600 independent outgrowers from the small kebele of Karamo. The harvest in Karamo is later than most other nearby villages and coffee cherries grown here are quite small, both due to the kebele’s high elevation and cool climate. Testi has strict standards in place for the quality of cherry delivered to Gara Agena, only accepting ripe, red fruit that will produce the sweetest and most complex lots. This meticulous and selective approach, along with the relatively small number of contributing outgrowers, adds to the distinct cup quality of this coffee.

The majority of the families that contribute to this lot farm organically on tiny plots of land, which average just one hectare in size. Coffee is their main cash crop and grows alongside food crops of corn, grain and bananas, under the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees. The average elevation of the farms in this region is very high – around 1,995–2,230m above sea level – and this, combined region’s cool temperatures, is ideal for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile.