Lot 12a: Lot #12 Beratu Jebicho Maldea

Authority, experience, and wisdom are the first words that pop-up when you see Miss Beratu Jebicho Maldea walk her plot. At 93 years, she has seen many coffee seasons come and go; a coffee veteran. Although Beratu is physically small, her character and wisdom draw the attention while entering a room. She often clothes herself in traditional

In Gedeo (otherwise known as Yirgacheffe), farms are usually owned by men; this is the traditional setup. The farms here are small, ranging from 0,5 to 2 hectares; their backyards in fact. Female producers are not uncommon, but female producers with large farms are rare. Beratu is one of the few female coffee growers in Yirgacheffe that has a larger farm. In a market, and culture, dominated by men, this is an example for other female producers around the globe.

Together with her family, primarily sons and daughters, she overlooks 34 hectares of coffee ground that naturally mingles with the forests of Gedeb. At the Beratu Jebicho Maldea Farm, seasonal workers collect and store the byproduct of coffee trees as natural compost. Beratu is convinced that self-made natural compost is one of the reasons that her coffee is so popular.

On Beratu’s farm you will find False banana (which functions as a shade tree for her coffee), beans, cabbage, potatoes, and tomato plants. The Maldea family is self-sufficient because of these other crops.

Beratu’s three sons and three daughters are planning to acquire additional lands that surround the farm. The sons and daughters will become ‘out growers’ of the Beratu Jebicho Maldea Farm, and through this they can maximize their harvest and make their family thrive.