Lot 22a: Lot #22 Tesfaye Roba

Gedeo, or Yirgacheffe, is considered to be a place of pilgrimage for specialty coffee buyers. The often bright and pointy acidic floral coffees are a trademark for this small yet famous region. Once you enter Yirgacheffe, through the town of Dilla, you notice how populated the area is. On average, families have eight or more children: a symbol of fruitfulness and pride.

The greater part of Yirgacheffe farms are 0,5 – 2 hectares. Basically, the backyard of a household.
The family Roba were an exception in the area. They managed a large estate near the town of Dilla.
But due to the overpopulation, shortage of lands and income in the Northern parts of Gedeo, many growers migrated South.

Tesfaye followed this movement and found land in the Worka Sakaro Kebele, which belongs to Gedeb – the most Southern Woreda that borders Guji. He started to plant seedlings from the 74112 and 74110 varieties. In these developing years, he met Daniel Mijane, from Mijane Worassa Export of Coffee. Daniel opened a new market for Tesfaye’s coffee. And since it is possible to bypass the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange, Tesfaye has been able to export his coffee directly to international buyers.

On top of that, he has the opportunity to participate in The Ethiopian Cup with a beautiful natural Yirgacheffe. Tesfaye Roba dreams of expanding his farm, improving quality, and starting his own washing station one day. “I want to build a stable home for my children and see to it that they receive a proper education.” Tesfaye explains.