April 2022 - Co-op's, Working Together to Do More!

April 2022’s Coffee Origin - Ethiopian - Yirgacheffe Wochema
Natural Processed, Organic & Fair Trade

Coffee Correction:
The label on your coffee bag says, Fully Washed and Sun Dried. The coffee in the bag is Naturally Process and Sun Dried. While we could pretend that we were testing you to see who's paying attention, that is not the case, it was an oversight on our end and we will Go Cup Ourselves in the corner!

Co-op's Co-op's and more Co-op's
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Wochema coffee is sourced from family-owned farms in the Wochema Community and organized around the Adado Cooperative. The Adado Cooperative has over 1100 members and is part of an umbrella organization of 28 Cooperatives known as the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union. This umbrella organization covers over 46000 farmers/members and 44 Processing sites, supporting a sustainable coffee supply in the Gedeo Ethnic Region of Ethiopia.

The 100% Arabica coffee produced and processed by these cooperatives is grown by small-holder farmers who maintain Organic Certified farming practices.
The "organic gardens" encompassed by the cooperatives cover an area of over 62,000 Hectares yielding over 35,000 tons of Green Coffee Beans (all of which are traceable back to their origin).

Agroforestry and Sustainability
Agroforestry involves the conservation of trees among crops. It is ideal for coffee growing as the trees provide shade that the coffee plants thrive under. This practice of interspersing coffee plants among trees, shrubs and other crops is tradition among Gedeo coffee farmers and awards them Rain Forrest Alliance Certification. Agroforestry also promotes biodiversity, soil management and carbon sequestration (which are hot topics in climate change conversations).

I Think We Like Cooperatives
As discussed in previous blog posts, the formation of co-op's is integral to the fabric of many coffee growing communities. Co-op's often fill the gaps where local governments fall short. These include building schools, roads, medical infrastructure, funding clean water and electricity initiatives and projects that fundamentally improve lives in the communities they serve.
Even with all of the positives cooperatives achieve, we still have to ask the same question each month ...How does the coffee taste?

ETHIOPIA - YIRGACHEFFE WOCHEMA 

Region: Gedeo Zone - Wochema Community Adado Cooperative
Varietals: Ethiopian Heirloom
Growing Elevation: 3900 - 5500 feet
Process: Natural and Sun Dried
Certifications: Organic & Fair Trade
Flavour Profile and Notes: GO CUP YOURSELF and find out!

Roaster’s Notes:
Another Yirg you say? Yes! Absolutely another Yirgacheffe. Many of our favourite coffees come from this region. Each Cooperatives bring slightly different flavours to the cup, peaking our interest every time we see a new offering. By popular request, this month's coffee was roasted as a Medium Roast. Unlike last month's selection, this coffee may smell slightly floral rather than berry-like when you open the bag. We'll give you a clue on one of the flavours as it may be odd to associate a floral smell with a taste. We likened one of the flavour notes as "Floral - Rose", although you may be better versed in your specific flower knowledge. 

Cupping-wise, look for Floral notes with a …wait a minute, if you want cupping notes Go Cup Yourself!

Once you have finished Cupping, click on the “EXPERT TASTED” tab for our tasting notes. Can’t wait to compare notes.

As always, we'd love to hear from you. Better yet, tell the world what you think. If you've been enjoying the Go Cup Yourself experience, please take a moment to review us on Facebook, Google, Yelp, Reddit, a bathroom stall door or anywhere you get your reviews.