Foundry Coffee Roasters: Ethiopia, Guji Highland Farm, Natural

It's back! - Guji Highland Farm was one of our standout lots from last year and the 2018 harvest is even better. In many ways, this is an absolutely classic natural processed Ethopian coffee but it has an elegance to it that you don't always find in these coffees.

We're particularly enjoying the creamy body that sits with the intensely fruity blueberry notes in this coffee - they combine together with a lime zest bite which conjures up a real taste of summer. It seems as though the fermentation has been judged absolutely perfectly and the result is less funk and booziness and more elegance and balance.

Guji Highland is a 250 hectare, family owned farm established in 2012 by Wodessa Yachisi. It is situated in Oromia, near the town of Shakisso in the Guji Zone – roughly 530km south of Addis. Guji Highland topsout at 2300m, and is nestled in what can only be described as a natural cloud forest. This remote and peaceful 250ha is one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen coffee grown. The farm was planted in stages and is between 3 and 4 years old, with new seedlings cultivated each year using seeds collected from indigenous mother trees. The farm’s production is 100% organic and the moment you step onto the land you sink into the deep topsoil, rich with organic matter which has naturally decomposed over decades. Only natural coffees are produced on the farm currently, but they have plans to build a fully operational washing station and an eco-lodge for coffee tourists.

In addition to the Guji Highlands farmland, coffees are also sourced from smallholders or “out growers” in the local vicinity, making up an additional 400 hectares of prime coffee land. Each of the smallholders who work with Guji Highland are managed and given expert advice, starting from seed selection from wild coffee tree to production and processing.