Ethiopia: our trip to the birthplace of Arabica
Journey to the Ethiopian Highlands
Back in 2018, we took an incredible journey to the Ethiopian coffee farms that grow the sustainable coffees we use in Conker Coffee Liqueur.
It was a life-changing trip, revealing the human story behind growing coffee in harmony with nature and creating a sustainable future for coffee farming communities.
The Long Road South
We travelled all day by Land Cruiser into the Guji Highlands Coffee farms, deep in the mountainous Shakiso district of Southern Ethiopia, a region renowned for producing some of the world’s finest speciality Arabica coffee.
As we made our way south from Addis Ababa towards the Southern Highlands, the landscape transformed before our eyes—from bustling city to barren desert, to rolling green hills, dense canopies of indigenous trees, and smallholder farms.
“We’re here,” our driver announced as our relentless climb up the mountain ended. But there was no sign of a coffee farm, as we pulled up alongside a lush forest.
As we walked under the towering canopy, we started to notice coffee plants growing beneath the protective shade of native trees, thriving in their natural habitat. This was a far cry from industrialized commodity coffee farming—this was coffee grown in harmony with nature.
Under the Canopy
In Guji, coffee is grown in near-wild conditions, meaning there are no large-scale monoculture plantations, no industrial irrigation, and no chemical pesticides destroying the delicate balance of the local ecosystem. Instead, farmers practice shade-grown, organic farming, allowing coffee plants to flourish under the canopy of larger trees.
Each plant is nurtured using traditional techniques passed down through generations, with minimal interference from machinery. Coffee cherries are meticulously handpicked at peak ripeness, ensuring only the best fruit makes it through to the next stage.
One of the most striking things we witnessed was the deep-rooted connection between the farmers and their land. They understand the importance of biodiversity, ensuring their farming techniques protect the surrounding environment rather than exploit it.
Natural Processing
We spent a lot of times at the incredible coffee drying racks, where we witnessed the meticulous care involved in the Natural ‘dry’ process of turning the freshly picked bright red coffee cherries into green coffee beans.
The Guji Highland Coffee Plantation favours this ‘natural’ process – a traditional method hundreds of years old that relies on the human eye, the rays of the sun and an exceptional attention to detail.
Once the ripe coffee cherries are handpicked, they’re spread out under the Ethiopian sun on row after row of drying racks, no more than a few cherries deep. For over 20 days the fruit is dried and turned on the hour by hand until the cherries resemble dark dried olives. All the while, cherries that are too small or have any sign of discolouration or damage are picked out. The skin and dried fruit is then removed by a de-pulping machine to reveal the green coffee bean, which, after a month of effectively marinating in the surrounding fruit, produces a wonderfully fruity flavour profile.
Sustainable at its heart.
Unlike commodity coffee farming that prioritizes volume over quality, our coffee farmers focus on long-term environmental and economic sustainability:
- No chemical pesticides or artificial fertilizers are used, preserving soil health and water purity.
- Shade-grown farming protects native trees, promotes biodiversity, and enhances soil fertility.
- Handpicking ensures minimal waste, with only the ripest cherries selected.
- Natural Processing uses minimal water, reducing harmful leaching and runoff into local water systems.
- Simple Infrastructure – Unlike the ‘washed’ coffee process that requires significant infrastructure, the natural method is more financially accessible to smallholder farmers.
- Higher quality coffee fetches a fairer price, supporting local farmers and their families.
This method of farming not only produces superior coffee but ensures coffee-growing communities can continue their craft for generations to come.
Ethical Coffee for the Cocktail
When you refuse to rely on flavourings, you have to rely on some the finest coffees in the world.
Coffee is extremely fragile. Every step of how its grown, processed, roasted and brewed has to be spot on. One lapse in care and the flavour exprience is lost.
So we rely heavily on our farmers to nurture and create the finest quality. In return, we roast the green coffee beans sympathetically to carefully to preserve and accentuate it’s regionality. And we cold brew to honour every flavour profile – completely removing the need for artificial flavourings.
Every sip of Conker Coffee Liqueur represents more than just great taste—it’s a tribute to the farmers, the environment, and the belief that qulaity coffee can be produced that benefits the people and environment that create it.
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