Mi'eessaa - Transparency

Farmer: Mi'eessaa Robe
Drying mill: Dambi Undo
Coffee processors and exporter: Ture Waji, owner of Sookoo Coffee
Importer: Osito

Price we paid for the landed coffee in continental New Jersey: 5,45USD/lb (add 0,35USD for shipping and customs)

FOB price, or price paid to Sookoo by Osito: 4,00USD/lb

Farmgate price, or price paid by Sookoo for the coffee cherries: early season - 40ETB/kg, and late harvest 51ETB/kg

Last year, the cherry prices were around 24ETB/kg.

High demand and lower supply explain this increase.

In addition to the price hike, a lack of ripening rain this year made for an overall low cherry quality across the board in the region. A high percentage of cherries bought were undersized, defective or unripe.

Ture is dedicated to quality, and is sorting and processing protocols are immaculate compare to most coffee exporters in Ethiopia. He deserves the nickname ‘’King of Guji’!

But sorting coffee the way he does, especially in a year were so much cherries were defective means increased cost for the highest quality.

What is also interesting is that farmers hover from exporter to exporter to try and fetch the highest price. Ture won’t shy away from paying extra for higher quality, and his processing knowledge allows him to turn an average lots into something super tasty. He is a master at making sure we can taste the very best of the Ethiopian terroir.