Shakisso GALE Summit Washing StationCoffee Bean Intro:

The administrative divisions of Ethiopia are divided into four levels, from largest to smallest: Region, Zone, woreda, and kebele. Most green coffee bean names follow this naming convention. Guji-Shakisso is located southeast of the renowned Yirgacheffe region and administratively belongs to Oromia Region → Guji Zone → Shakisso woreda, making it a regional-origin green coffee bean.

Just as Yirgacheffe became widely known and eventually an independent region after gaining fame, Guji was designated as an independent region by the ECX in 2010 due to its superior geographical location and cup profile. Shakisso (sometimes translated as Shakiso) is the most attention-grabbing micro-region within the Guji zone, geographically situated southeast of Yirgacheffe, with an average altitude of over 1,800 meters. Its fertile black soil (Vertisol) and significant day-night temperature variations provide ideal terroir conditions for producing high-quality specialty coffee.

Local coffee production primarily comes from smallholder farmers. During the harvest season, they pick ripe red cherries from nearby farms and deliver them to the washing station. The cherries are then placed on well-ventilated African beds to control temperature and fermentation levels. After pulp removal, the moisture content is reduced to between 11.5% and 12%. Once post-processing and resting are complete, the beans are exported through the ECX (Ethiopian Commodity Exchange) auction system. Local exporters or international buyers then compete to source their preferred green coffee beans through this system.

In recent years, the most talked-about coffee region in Ethiopia has been Yirgacheffe. While Guji-Shakisso is less well-known compared to Yirgacheffe, the 2015 surge in Yirgacheffe prices led international specialty buyers to explore neighboring regions such as Sidamo, Limu, Jimma, and others. Many promising regions and producers have since been discovered, such as the recently released Limu Gera and Jimma Agaro Yukro, both of which are high-quality specialty beans.

Shakisso is a unique region within Guji/Sidamo, even standing apart from most other coffee-producing areas in Sidamo. Another notable feature of the area is its gold mines, and factors such as labor, land, and ethnicity have contributed to unrest in the region since 2006. The coffee from this area is quite distinctive and has repeatedly garnered market attention. The legendary Ninety Plus bean "Nekisse," whose name means "Nectar from Shakisso," derives both its origin and name from Shakisso.

GUJI, Shakisso Washed

Coffee-producing country: Africa, Ethiopia

Coffee farm: Gale Summit Washing Station, Odo Shakiso area, Guji

Coffee variety: Heirloom (Ethiopian landrace)

Growing altitude: 2000-2100M

*The washing station is located in the western part of the Shakisso region, approximately 26 kilometers as the crow flies from the town center of Shakisso. The station purchases fresh cherries from around 900 smallholder farmers and produces both washed and honey-processed green coffee beans.