Facility

Yirgacheffe Coffee Zone (SNNPR, Ethiopia)

Yirgacheffe (Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region; elevation 1,700-2,200m; traditional garden/forest coffee farming) is globally the most recognized Ethiopian Arabica coffee origin, producing the floral, jasmine-scented, citrus-bright washed coffees that define the specialty coffee market's highest price tier. Yirgacheffe coffees regularly achieve SCA scores above 88 and are the reference standard for African washed Arabica. Ethiopian coffee exported through the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX, founded 2008 by PM Meles Zenawi with World Bank assistance) — all Ethiopian coffee for export must be traded through the ECX system, which provides price discovery, warehousing, and quality grading. The ECX system created price transparency but also reduced direct farmer-to-roaster traceability (controversial among specialty buyers). Ethiopia exports ~7-8 million 60-kg bags of coffee annually; Yirgacheffe accounts for ~500,000 bags. Source: ICO; Ethiopian Commodity Exchange annual report.