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Sidama Coffee Cooperative is well known for its production of garden coffee. Our growing areas have the ideal soil type and climatic conditions (altitude, rainfall and temperature) for the production of an extraordinary coffee. Sidama produces approximately 35,000 tons of high quality Organic Arabica beans per year on 70,000 hectares of land. Sixty percent of our beans are washed, with the remainder sun-dried. Our union strives to be genuine in its product identification, loyal to its members and customers, steadfast in its commitments, and proactive in its response to available opportunities.
Coffee Production
In Sidama, the garden coffee system is widely practiced. Coffee is grown near homesteads and is planted at low densities, ranging from 1,000 to 1,800 plants per hectare. Most garden coffee is fertilized with organic nutrients.
Harvesting
Depending on altitudinal variation and rainfall distribution, the harvesting period varies from September to December. Harvesting is mostly done by family labor. Freshly hand-picked cherries are sorted before pulping and are sold to the primary cooperatives for wet processing. More than 30 percent of the country's washed coffee comes from the Sidama area. Currently there are 221 pulperies in the area, 91 of which are owned by SCFCU cooperatives.
Wet Processing
Fresh clean cherries arriving at pulperies are pulped and allowed to ferment naturally. The fermented coffee is washed with clean running water, soaked in clean water and then dried to retain about 11.5 percent moisture.
Dried parchments (washed and dried coffee with husks) are stored in a warehouse until delivery to the central market in Addis Ababa. The husk is removed and the clean beans are packaged in labeled bags (60 kg / 132 lbs) for export.
Quality Control
At each stage, coffee quality is ensured though an integrated quality control system. Red cherries delivered to the washing stations are inspected. Only those beans that meet the exacting export standards and have verified origin characteristics are allowed to be exported.
Organic Certification
Twenty-five cooperative members out of 42 have been certified organic by BCS OKO-GARANTIE GMBH Germany with a potential exporting capacity of over 7,000 tons of coffee per annum.
Fair Trade Labeling Organization FLO Certification
Eight primary cooperatives are inscribed in FLO certification and have the potential to produce 6,875 tons of coffee per annum.
UTZ KAPEH Certification
Two primary cooperatives are certified by the UTZ KAPEH foundation in the Netherlands and produce 360 tons of green beans per annum. Certification for five other cooperatives is currently underway.
Auction Market Waiver
Our union has obtained special permission to by-pass the auction market and sell directly to our clients.
Memberships
Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA)
Eastern African Fine Coffee Association (EAFCA)
Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce (AACC)
Recent International Awards
World Specialty Commodities Award, Paris 2005
Rosters Guild, Specialty Coffee Association of America Award,
Seattle 2005
ECafe Gold Cooperative Coffee Ethiopian Competition 2005, First Place honor in washed and unwashed Sidamo varietal class
International Quality Award, The Arch of Europe, Frankfurt 2004
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