Our good friends at Bette Buna used a red wine yeast inoculation on this coffee to create a cup profile that shines like the juiciest, most fruit-forward natural wine. It’s just the right amount of boozy, with bright supporting notes of strawberry and mango. We loved it so much we bought the whole lot, so be sure to grab some before it's gone. You won't be able to find it anywhere else!
This gorgeous coffee is one of several we recently air-freighted to the UK (a very rare occurrence) so it's an extra special treat: you won't normally encounter Ethiopian coffee this fresh, as it usually arrives by ship. We're thrilled to share this opportunity to taste what coffee buyers in Ethiopia taste – fresh crop coffee just weeks after processing.
Betta Buna was founded by partners Hester Westerveld-Syoum and Dawit Syoum when they inherited their grandfather’s tiny family farm in Taferi Kela, Sidamo. With a background in NGO and development work, they decided to grow and scale the farm as the foundation for a larger company with greater impact.
After starting in 2019, they have now grown considerably, expanding the Taferi Kela farm from two to 50 hectares and spreading to a second 50-hectare farm in Megadu, Guji. Both farms have tree nurseries where climate change-resistant varietals are grown to share with surrounding farmers. Similarly, they have facilities where they not only process their own lots but also educate other farmers in processing techniques, while their Coffee Campus programme provides training in roasting, brewing, and even exporting. They provide countless opportunities for their farming communities by not only teaching and motivating farmers but also hiring local workers at their nurseries and mills, including single mothers and disabled people who would struggle to find employment elsewhere. They also prioritise sustainable farming methods, rewild forests on their land, and protect local wildlife to promote ecosystem health for future generations. We're proud to support Bette Buna and plan to partner with them for many years to come.
To process this lot, only the ripest cherries were chosen before being placed in hermetic barrels for controlled fermentation. A selected commercial yeast, supported by sugar and nutrients, guided the process to build complexity while preserving the coffee’s intrinsic character, with close monitoring of pH, temperature, and °Brix. Fermentation lasted for 96 hours. Beyond flavour, this experiment strengthened the mill team’s understanding of fermentation science under real-world conditions.
Elevation: 2100 Metres Above Sea Level
Varietal: Enat Buna, 74158, 74112
Cup score: 91
Price paid per kg: £24.50
Process: Red wine yeast natural
