Mundayo Natural
Honey sweetness with candy-like notes of berries and red grape. Black tea, bright and clean in the finish.
Located in the Nensebo woreda (administrative district) of Ethiopia’s West Arsi Zone, Mundayo kebele is home to some of the most distinct naturally-processed coffees produced by Testi Specialty Coffee. The village sits next to the Harenna forest, a tropical evergreen territory that is part of Ethiopia’s Bale mountains. Known for its multitude of local flora and fauna, Harenna is one of the country’s last remaining natural forests — and a stunningly beautiful and peaceful place to visit. The mountainous forest creates a unique microclimate in its surrounding villages (like Mundayo) as its slopes are often covered by dense mist, particularly during the wet season.
Some 750 farmers from Mundayo who deliver their cherries to Testi process their coffee at Aash washing station. Although it sits at an impressive 1,900 metres above sea level, the site’s elevation is lower than most local farms, making it incredibly accessible and easy to deliver to. On our most recent tour of Testi’s washing stations, Aash was one of the busiest we visited — practically every raised bed was topped with cherries.
The majority of the families that contribute to this lot farm organically on tiny plots of land, averaging less than two hectares in size. Coffee is their main cash crop and grows alongside food crops of corn, fake banana and grain, under the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees. Their farms typically sit at elevations between 1,900–2,100m above sea level, which combined with the region’s cool temperatures, is ideal for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile.
Each outgrower that delivers to Aash receives payment on delivery of their cherry, including a premium above the annual market rate set by the Ethiopian government. Farmers who are registered with the washing station also receive a second premium payment three months later or after the lot has been sold, based on what they have delivered. This usually happens around June or July (coinciding with the Ethiopian winter), which is when they would be preparing for the next harvest.
ABOUT THE WEST ARSI ZONE
The West Arsi Zone is located in Ethiopia’s Oromia political region and is named after the Arsi Oromo people. Historically, coffee from West Arsi has been classified as ‘Sidama,’ even though the Zone is not within the Sidama political region. West Arsi has begun to distinguish itself in recent years, largely due to the Zone’s excellent results in the country’s Cup of Excellence competition.
While most know the folk tale of Kaldi the goat herder, who was the first to ‘discover’ coffee, the Oromo people have their own origin myth for the crop. They believe that the first coffee plant sprung from the tears of deity Waaqa, who was mourning the death of an esteemed servant he had unjustly punished. Coffee in Oromia is thus seen as a sacred gift, and its production and consumption have great cultural and historical significance.
Part of the West Arsi Zone covers Ethiopia’s Great Rift Valley, which contains several mountains, volcanoes and great lakes. Most of the region’s specialty-grade coffee comes from the valley’s highlands, where humidity is high, they receive plenty of sun exposure and temperatures are relatively cool overnight. As a result of these conditions, West Arsi has higher yields and an earlier season than most other coffee-growing regions. Communities here still live rurally and make a living from farming, with few or no agrochemicals used on the fields. Coffee remains the major cash crop for most families, who grow coffee alongside food for consumption. West Arsi is bordered to the west by the Sidama political region, to the south by the Guji Zone, and to the west by Arsi and the ‘Harrar’ region, one of the country’s three trademarked coffee regions.
VARIETY
This coffee is made up of local landrace and JARC varieties.
For many years, most Ethiopian coffees have been described as being a mix of cultivated and wild varieties, referred to as “heirloom varieties.” This is a term that is all-encompassing and used by many actors in the coffee industry to generally categorise Ethiopian coffee varieties that are from native forest origins. Whilst this describes many of the varieties found in Ethiopia, it does not fully acknowledge the varieties that are already locally recognised and cultivated, or those that have been specifically developed and widely distributed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC).
Gedeo is home to many landrace varieties that were originally selected from the forest and have been propagated successfully for decades. There are a six popular landrace varieties propagated through Gedeo, Guji and Sidama; these are Bedessa, Dega, Kurume, Mique, Sawe and Wolisho. There is little documentation on the history of these varieties, and it is hard to know if they represent a single plant or a larger “family” of varieties; however, it is widely accepted that they play a major role in the quality and floral flavour profile of the coffee from this region. While morphologically, these plants show differences (Kurume is known for producing smaller cherries than Wolisho, for example), most have been named after local, indigenous non-coffee trees. It is also likely some historical landrace names have potentially been applied to JARC selections that resemble them.
JARC varieties were developed using “mother trees” from Ethiopia’s coffee forests, and are now grown for disease and pest resistance, as well as exceptional cup profile. These were released by number, with the first two representing the year they were selected and catalogued (those whose names begin with ’74,’ for example, were released in 1974). The most widely propagated varieties were developed following a Coffee Berry Disease outbreak that struck Ethiopia in 1971. The selection process resulted in collections from 19 locations in southwestern Ethiopia, eventually finding 13 mother trees from the regions of Gera, Wush Wush, Washi and Metu-Bishari that showed great resistance and promise. The most widely propagated JARC varieties — like 74158, 74110 and 74112 — all descend from the forests of Metu-Bishari.
When farmers expand or renew their plots of land, they either prepare their own seedlings (from trees they are already growing) or receive them from JARC and their distribution partners, or from traders and exporters like Testi Specialty Coffee. By working directly with growers, Testi can ensure they only grow varieties that perform well on the local region’s soils, and that will eventually earn them better payment on delivery due to the quality of the fruit. Due to Ethiopia’s traditional growing practices, however, it is hard to guarantee whether a coffee lot is made up entirely of a single variety.
PROCESSING
This coffee was processed using the natural method; a complex process requiring a high level of attention to detail in order to be done well. Ethiopian coffee has been processed this way by generations of farmers who have mastered the art through centuries of tradition and experience. Testi Coffee ensures that a great deal of care is taken in the processing and drying of their naturals, and they aim for all of their exportable coffee to be specialty quality grade. This coffee is classified as Grade 1, indicating that a lot of effort has been put into the selection, grading and drying to ensure the very highest quality coffee is produced.
Each day, carefully hand-picked coffee cherries were delivered to the wet mill to be meticulously hand-sorted prior to processing to remove unripe, overripe, or damaged fruit, in order to enhance the quality and sweetness of the cup. The coffee was then graded by weight and spread evenly on raised beds to dry in the sun. Initially, it was laid very thinly and turned regularly to ensure consistent drying and prevent over-fermentation. This was done very carefully to avoid damage to the fruit.
After a few days, when the coffee had reached 25% humidity — this is called the “raisin stage” — the layers of coffee were gradually increased. Careful attention and control during this drying phase ensured the coffee was stable and that a clean and balanced cup profile was achieved. The coffee was turned constantly whilst drying to ensure that it dried evenly and consistently. At midday, the coffee was covered to protect it from full sun. It was also covered overnight to prevent damage from morning dew. Once the coffee reached the optimum moisture level (usually after 15–18 days), it was hulled and rested in bags in parchment until it is ready for export.
HOW THIS COFFEE WAS SOURCED
Since 2018, regulation changes within the Ethiopian coffee industry have allowed smallholder producers and coffee washing stations to export coffee directly to the international market, rather than through the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX), through a model called Vertical Integration. While the ECX has provided stability and opportunity for many Ethiopian coffee farmers, Vertical Integration allows for greater transparency and traceability as it enables a more streamlined coffee supply chain. Beyond this, producers who market and trade their coffee directly can access higher prices and more direct payments for their coffees. We buy all of our coffee through this model, working directly with our supply and export partners, Testi Specialty Coffee.
