Ethiopia - Murago

Bekele Kachara has been cultivating coffee for well over 20 years and currently owns several farms in the Bensa, Sidama region of Ethiopia. He also works with 150 small producers in and around the village of Murago, teaching coffee production and coffee processing techniques. He is a pillar of the coffee community in this area and is extremely knowledgeable. He does not currently have his own mill and washing station but he has built shaded pre-drying coffee beds on his farm so the coffee cherries can begin the process before being transported. Bekele also takes meticulous care to differentiate each of the native coffee cultivars he grows on the farm and they are kept separate. Until recently, it has been very difficult to conduct genetic tests on coffee in Ethiopia, and there are so many variations that many are not usually named. At Futura, we are dedicated to seeking out coffees that are grown in ways that are healthy for the soil, contribute to biodiversity on the farm, and limit t