Genji Challa - Gera, Ethiopia

Genji Challa is back for 2025, for a fresh harvest and our fifth year serving this coffee!  Gera, in the Jimma zone of Southwest Ethiopia is where the wild coffee grows. The intact forests of this area are some of the last on earth where one can forage for coffee and where rare heirlooms can be found. The site of this coffee, Genji Challa, is a new washing station founded in 2018 as a second facility by the renowned Nano Challa Cooperative. This organization was the first to demonstrate the high potential for coffees from this region. Part of their innovative approach to quality is that they keep each day’s batch of coffee separate throughout the harvest and drying process, thus creating dozens of lots throughout the year.    Nano Challa began in 2004 with 25 members, similar to many co-ops. They aimed to bring smallholder farmers together in order to pool resources, create a distinct product, and find a better market for their coffee. In 2010, they received a large boost to their qual