The Ato .Mijane washing station was established in 2012 by Ato Mijane – Ato stands for mister. It is located around Sakaro, a village in the Gedeb district, near Worka. Gedeb is most-definitely one of Trabocca’s favourite districts that produce Yirgacheffe coffee – because it is known for its purple-fruit and intense floral notes. A notable difference in the Gedeb region, compared to other Yirgacheffe districts, is the state of plantations. The soil seems more nutritious and trees look more vital than they do in the northern part of Yirgacheffe.

In 2016, during one of our visits to the Roba family (Chelbessa), we bumped into Daniel Mijane, Ato Mijane’s son. An energetic and dedicated guy who had left the Gedeb agricultural office to join his father at the washing station.

He has one single goal: to create all the right conditions to produce the best that Yirgacheffe can offer. Whether you agree with it being the very best or not, you can’t argue about the conditions they have created. They follow a strict quality protocol, which isn’t high-tech but is still very effective.

The smallholders that deliver coffee to Daniel’s washing station are all located in the Worka valley –  most of them on the slopes of mount Rudu (2000+ m.a.s.l.). They have close relationships with their grower-partners whom they support with training and finance; another key strategy to get access to the best cherries.

The coffee is fermented for 24-48 hour and dried on African beds for about 7-10 days depending on the environment.