The Gedeo Zone is named for the Gedeo people who are indigenous to this area. As a coffee terroir, Gedeo, or “Yirgacheffe”, has for decades been considered a benchmark for beauty and complexity in arabica coffee.
The Foge coffee washing station, is in the district of Yirga Chefe itself, though it works with smallholders in the adjacent Abaya district (just outside the Gedeo border) as well, who are considered part of the local community.
In this case, the washing station is managed by Ms. Rosa Defo, a committed local entrepreneur born of a coffee producing family herself and dedicated to creating jobs for as many area citizens as possible.
The station employs 12 people year-round, and more than 250 more during harvest months to manage the day-to-day processing tasks. Foge provides long-term housing for employees and quality premiums to farmers delivering the best cherry possible.
