Ethiopia, Banko Gotiti - Filter

From the highlands of Gedeb, in Ethiopia’s Gedeo Zone, Banko Gotiti represents the work of a community of smallholder coffee farmers in the heart of Yirgacheffe. Established in 2012, the cooperative brings together around 300 members who cultivate traditional Ethiopian heirloom varieties on small plots alongside other crops.

The region’s high elevations, cool climate and fertile soils create favourable conditions for slow cherry development, contributing to the distinctive character for which Yirgacheffe coffees are renowned.

Farmers deliver ripe cherries to the local washing station, where they are sorted, weighed and carefully processed before being dried on raised beds. The collective’s coffee is then prepared for export, connecting the work of individual growers with specialty coffee markets beyond Ethiopia. Most farmers in the area have limited access to agricultural inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides, and grow their coffee without them.

Banko Gotiti offers a glimpse into the strength of Ethiopia’s smallholder coffee tradition, where regional growing conditions, traditional varieties and collective expertise come together in every harvest.

• Region: Gedeb
• Country: Ethiopia
• Elevation: 1,600 - 2,300 masl
• Variety: Heirloom
• Process: Washed