Bekele Kachara

Producer

Bekele Kachara

Bekele Kachara has spent over two decades growing coffee in Bensa, part of Ethiopia's Sidama region. Before working his own land, he spent years learning the trade at local washing stations and small businesses in the Bensa and Bona districts. Today he farms 10ha across several plots with his wife, Abinet Mekonnen. They have thirteen children and four of them work in the family coffee business. Their son Belay now leads processing at Murago, the family's satellite site, where they experiment with new methods. Bekele picks only ripe cherry and manages his own drying. He's always looking for ways to improve the cup. His coffee once placed 14th at Cup of Excellence with an 89 point score. We met Bekele on a trip through Sidama and were struck by his hands-on approach to the farm. We have been buying his coffee since.
A delicate and complex coffee from Bekele Kachara's Murago site in Bensa, Sidama. We met Bekele on a trip through Ethiopia and have since bought his coffee. This honey processed JARC 74158 gives a clean, layered cup. Notes of peach, white flower and oolong.

Murago sits at 2350 masl in Sidama's highlands, where volcanic soil and steady rainfall slow the cherries' ripening.

A delicate and complex coffee from Bekele Kachara's Murago site in Bensa, Sidama. We met Bekele on a trip through Ethiopia and have since bought his coffee. This honey processed JARC 74158 gives a clean, layered cup. Notes of peach, white flower and oolong.

Bekele's land in Bensa sits within Sidama's highlands. The Murago site reaches 2350 masl. The region has a cool, tropical highland climate. Warm days and cool nights are steady year round. Two rainy seasons keep growing conditions consistent. Soils here form from weathered volcanic ash and basalt. They are red brown, rich in iron, and hold water well through the dry months. Bekele grows a mix of local landraces and JARC varieties. This lot is JARC 74158, which suits Murago's elevation well. Ripe cherry for this lot is picked by hand, then pulped. The parchment dries slowly on raised beds with its mucilage left on. Murago is also where Belay trials washed and anaerobic processing. Beyond his own plots, Bekele employs seasonal and daily labourers for picking, drying and transport, giving steady work to families around Bensa.