Ethiopia Uraga — Harsu Wekilo Natural (Tracon Washing Station)

Origin & Producer Details

• Region: Uraga, Guji Zone — Oromia, Southern Ethiopia

• Village (Kebele): Harsu Wekilo

• Producers: Smallholder farmers of Harsu Wekilo

• Washing Station: Harsu Wekilo (operated by Tracon)

• Elevation: 2,200–2,300 MASL

• Varieties: 74110, 74112 & Local Landraces

• Process: Natural

• Drying: 18–21 days on raised beds

• Grade: 1

• Bag Size: 60 kg GrainPro

The People & the Place

Harsu Wekilo is a remote, high-altitude village in the Uraga district of Guji, where coffee is grown by several hundred smallholder families on modest, forest-adjacent farms. Agriculture here remains deeply traditional: families intercrop coffee with maize, barley, beans, and ensete, relying on diversified plots that support both food security and coffee quality.

Most farms are organic by default, and nearly all work—from cultivation to harvest—is done manually. Ripe cherry is gathered with the help of family members and carried directly to the Harsu Wekilo washing station. This close relationship between household, forest, and farm is a defining feature of life in Uraga and central to the coffee’s character.

Uraga & the Guji Highlands

The Guji Zone, particularly Uraga, is renowned for producing some of Ethiopia’s most expressive coffees.
High elevations, cool temperatures, volcanic soils, and deep biodiversity create ideal slow-ripening conditions, contributing to the floral, juicy, fruit-driven profiles associated with this region.

Uraga sits within the homeland of the Oromo people, who have cultivated Arabica in these mountains for generations. Their agricultural traditions and land stewardship continue to shape the flavor and identity of coffees grown here.

Processing at Harsu Wekilo

This lot is processed as a meticulous, slow-dried Natural. Once farmers deliver cherry:

1. It’s sorted and divided into 700 kg batches.

2. Coffee is spread onto long raised drying beds (25 meters by 1 meter).

3. During the first 48 hours, cherries are turned by hand every hour to ensure stable, even drying.

4. Total drying lasts 18–21 days, depending on weather and humidity.

After drying, the lot is first milled in Solomo (Uraga) and then transferred to Tracon’s advanced sorting facility in Addis Ababa for density, size, and color sorting. The result is a clean, fruit-forward Natural that carries the unmistakable clarity of high-elevation Guji coffees.

Varieties & Genetic Heritage

This coffee is composed primarily of 74110 and 74112, two cultivars selected by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) in the 1970s. Developed from wild forest genetics, these varieties are valued for their disease resistance, compact growth, and strong cup potential—traits well suited to Uraga’s forest and semi-forest production systems.

It’s worth noting that this level of specificity is unusual in Ethiopian sourcing, where most coffees are labeled simply as “heirloom” due to the country’s immense genetic diversity and the limited traceability typical of smallholder supply chains. Having clear insight into the varieties behind this lot reflects both the station’s careful documentation and the unusually transparent relationships in this part of Guji.

JARC’s work has shaped Ethiopian coffee for decades, helping preserve genetic diversity while offering farmers resilient varieties without sacrificing quality. Selections like 74110 and 74112 are among the most widely planted and respected in the country.

Tracon’s Support

While the focus of this coffee remains on its farmers and landscape, Tracon provides essential structure that helps smallholders thrive. Their support includes:

• Training in selective harvesting and cherry handling

• Premium incentives for high-quality deliveries

• Short-term loans that stabilize annual income

• Modern milling and optical sorting for clean, consistent lots

Tracon has earned recognition—including two top-20 placements in the 2021 Ethiopia Cup of Excellence—but their most meaningful contribution is strengthening the communities they source from, including those in Harsu Wekilo.

A Coffee With a Clear Sense of Origin

This Natural from Uraga is a complete expression of its people and place:

• High-elevation smallholder farms

• Traditional, organic-leaning agriculture

• Forest biodiversity

• Precise natural drying

• Transparent, traceable cultivars

• Generational stewardship of land and coffee

It’s a coffee that carries the flavor of Guji’s mountains and the work of the families who live among them.

YOUR ORDER WILL BE ROASTED FRESH ON THE MONDAY FOLLOWING YOUR ORDER! COFFEES ARE SHIPPED ASAP AFTER ROASTING TO ENSURE YOU RECEIVE THE FRESHEST POSSIBLE ROAST.