Halo Washing Station

Processed at the Halo Washing Station, this coffee is made up of cherries delivered by surrounding smallholders. It is sourced through Origin Land Coffee.

Halo sits at 2100 masl, close to the Worka Town in Gedeb. Halo is the one of largest growing areas in Gedeb, with a total of 1240 hectares of coffee farms.

This specific station buys cherries from approximately 170 farmers all located in the area. Their farms are on average between 0.5 to 2 hectares in size, and sit between 1925 and 2110 masl. The washing station is close to the farms which means that no farmer needs to transport their cherries for more than 40 minutes.

Harvest & Post-Harvest

The cherries are picked and sorted by smallholders. They are sold by the farmers at a cherry collection centre, or at the washing station directly — depending on their proximity to each location. Sometimes, the cherries are also sorted at the washing station.

The cherries are placed directly in the hopper that is connected to the pulping machine (a traditional Agaarde Disc Pulper). The coffee flows from the hopper down to the pulper, and the pulper removes the skin and pulp. The machine is designed to conduct grading of high and low quality (1st and 2nd).

The coffee is then fermented under water in tanks for an average of 72 hours, but any time frame between 48 - 100 hours is within the norm. The coffee is graded again in channels, so that the cherries of lower quality (with a lower density) will float. They are removed, leaving the denser, higher quality beans to be separated as higher-grade lots.

The parchment is soaked in clean water and then dried on raised beds for approximately 8 - 20 days. The coffee is dried in layers of 2-8 cm, depending on the climate, the type of tables, and the stage of drying.

Origin Land Coffee

Abenezer Asfaw established Origin Land Coffee in 2022, together with Mikyas Alemu. With extensive experience in supply chain management within the Ethiopian specialty coffee sector, Origin Coffee Land prioritises transparency and fostering strong relationships with farmers and washing stations. Their operations span across various regions, including Guji, Sidama, Yirgacheffe, West Arsi, and Gedeb, collaborating closely with producers and wet mills.