Guji Shakiso Natural
قوجي شاكيسو
This lot is made up of coffees grown and pro- cessed Anosoro Village of Shakisso, in Ethiopia’s Guji Zone. The coffee varieties in this lot, heirloom locally selected sub variety 74110 and 74112, were developed in the 1970’s at the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) for resistance to the coffee berry disease. These two varieties begin with “74” to indicate their cataloging and selection in 1974.
Variety 74110 was selected from an original “mother tree” in the Bishari village, Metu Province, Illuababora zone, Oromia region. After researching its resistance to
coffee berry disease and overall yield, JARC released the variety in 1979. 74110 trees are short and compact, with small leaves, cherries, and beans.
Variety 74112 also originates in the Metu-Bishari forest and was similarly released in 1979 for its disease resistance and yield potential. Its trees, too, are small and compact. Both varieties grow well in climates similar to those where the the original mother trees grew.
During harvest, freshly picked coffee cherries are delivered daily by some 580 local coffee growers, before being processed under the watchful eye of washing
station manager. The major- ity of the families who con- tributed to this lot, farm organically on tiny plots of land averaging just 2.6 hectares in size. The average elevation of the farms in this region is very high between 2200-2400 m.a.s.l. Com- bined with the region’s cool temperatures makes it ideal for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile.
