Introduction and description of several characteristic varieties of YCFCU Cooperative in Ethiopia

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Yega Sheffield Coffee Farmers Union Cooperative Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union (YCFCU)

The YCFCU represents 26 cooperatives located in the Gedeo region of Southern Ethiopia, located in the towns of Yegashefi, Jettip, Vanago and Cochel, and plays an extremely important role in the development of small Ethiopian coffee farmers from poverty to self-sufficiency.

Small coffee farmers in Ethiopia generally have a planting area of no more than 1 hectare, and the harvest of raw coffee beans is so small that small farmers cannot support themselves and their families by growing coffee alone. at the same time, they also need to grow other cash crops to make ends meet. Before the establishment of YCFCU, the raw beans harvested by small farmers were still traded through ECX, and when the essence of ECX is to mix and grade all the products and sell them internationally at market prices, although small farmers can get better profits than before, they can not really get increased profits from the transaction because of excellent products. Over time, this situation is bound to lead to a decline in the quality of coffee beans. The mixed grading system also makes it impossible for foreign buyers to trace the curriculum vitae and local information of Yejashefi coffee raw beans, so organizations like YCFCU cooperatives, which aim to stabilize the fluctuation of coffee prices and improve the quality of Yejasuffi coffee and the profits of small farmers, come into being.

The YCFCU cooperative is a coffee exporter recognized by the Ethiopian government. Small coffee farmers in Gedeo are free to join or not, and it is also a system maintained by grass-roots farmers. On the one hand, farmers are exempted from the unequal treatment of being peeled off by private treatment plants, on the other hand, it also provides a channel for international buyers to face village cooperatives directly.

In an economically backward area like this, it is very difficult for small farmers to have extra money to buy chemical fertilizers, so they all grow coffee with natural and organic farming methods. Ethiopia has a large area of natural wild forest, and 90% of the coffee growing land can be found in the forest. The use of natural shading and intercropping methods contribute to the development of Yejassefi coffee flavor and achieve excellent farming results and sustainable management.

The establishment of the YCFCU cooperative achieves the goal that international buyers are eager for Ethiopian coffee to provide a complete resume from origin to cup, and also enables cooperative members to gradually improve the education and quality of life in the village because of reasonable profits.

YCFCU Yega Xuefei G1 Edidot Cooperative YCFCU Yirgacheffe G1 Washed Idido

Country: Ethiopia

Producing area: Yega Xuefei

Altitude: 1750m-2300m

Treatment: washing

Grade: G1

Variety: native species

Flavor description: citrus, orange peel, grapefruit, kumquat, cloves, brown sugar honey, full sweetness, Body solid

More than a thousand members of the Idido Cooperative are members of the YCFCU, while most small farmers use less than two hectares of farmland to grow coffee. The cooperative is located in a high-altitude valley in the town of Yegashefi, with annual rainfall of about 1400-1800 mm. Local farmers grow coffee about 2, 000 meters above sea level, and thanks to the cool mountain air that allows coffee to slowly ripen in good soil conditions and ecosystems, small farmers then harvest ripe red fruits from December to February each year. Like other cooperatives, Ediot has the quality conditions to produce one or two good coffees: 1. High altitude 2. Excellent processing technology 3. High nutrient soil 4. Native species of Ethiopia.

YCFCU Yega Sheffield G1 Biloya Cooperative YCFCU Yirgacheffe G1 Washed Biloya

Country: Ethiopia

Producing area: Yega Xuefei

Altitude: 1670m-2100m

Treatment: washing

Grade: G1

Variety: native species

Flavor description: yellow lemon, white peach, white grape, Burma gardenia, fragrant leaf plant, Body smooth and soft

The Biloya Cooperative was founded in 1976 and joined YCFCU in 2002. It is one of the founding cooperatives with organic certification and fair trade certification. The annual rainfall in this area is about 1200~1800mm, which is similar to that of neighboring cooperatives: small-scale farming, intercropping cash crops, traditional organic planting of ​​, and centralized post-treatment by cooperatives. The Biloya Cooperative has two separate washing stations. One is responsible for full washing treatment, and the other is responsible for cleaning the sun-treated coffee. At present, the total number of members is 2080. Cooperatives and YCFCU attach great importance to investment in education, such as building schools for the district and investing in infrastructure, such as providing electricity to small communities and building bridges.

YCFCU Yega Chuefei G1 washing Dumeso YCFCU Yirgacheffe G1 Washed Dumerso

Country: Ethiopia

Producing area: Gedeo, Yega Xuefei

Altitude: 1750m-2300m

Treatment: washing

Grade: G1

Variety: native species

Flavor description: citrus, grape, Earl Grey Tea fragrance, smooth taste, long-lasting bouquet

The Dumerso dry and Wet treatment Plant and its cooperative smallholder members are located in the Yegashafi production area of about 1750-2300 meters. They are jointly operated by Surafel Birhanu and his family. He is also one of the founding members of YCFCU in 2002. Surafel provides technical guidance to small farmers. The ripe cherries are picked by different small farmers' families and sent to Dumerso treatment plant for 24-36 hours to ferment in a washing tank. After washing, they are preliminarily graded, and then placed in African scaffolding for more than 10 days to dry. At the same time, they are turned regularly every day to eliminate defects again to ensure the stability of flavor and quality in each batch.

YCFCU Yega Xuefei G1 washing spring thunder YCFCU Yirgacheffe G1 Washed Haru

Country: Ethiopia

Producing area: Gedeo, Yega Xuefei

Altitude: 1750m-2300m

Treatment: washing

Grade: G1

Variety: native species

Flavor description: wild ginger flower, lemon, litchi, sweet and sour bright and round

The Haru Cooperative was founded in 1976 and has been working with YCFCU since its inception in 2002. It is located in the western edge of Yejasuefi producing area and is only 35 kilometers adjacent to Dilla town. Haru, which is as high as 1800-2300 meters above sea level, has 1400-1800mm annual rainfall and basic excellent planting conditions such as the quality of red brown soil. Its own wet treatment plant is also located in high-altitude mountain areas. at present, there are nearly 1100 members of small farmers, with an average planting area of only about 2-3 mu per smallholder. Each piece of land not only grows coffee organically, but also grows staple crops for people's livelihood.

YCFCU Yega Xuefei G1 Solar Datatu YCFCU Yirgacheffe G1 Natural Bankodadatu

Country: Ethiopia

Production area: Bankodadatu, Gedeb

Altitude: 1750-2300 m

Treatment: insolation

Grade: G1

Variety: native species

Flavor description: blueberries, strawberries, flowers, grape juice, thick taste, long-lasting aftertaste

A miniature cooperative in the town of Gedeb in southern Ethiopia, Bankodadatu is also a remote village that is part of the Gedeo Zone producing area. Arrive at the town of Yegashefi and go southeast, then enter the town of Gedeb, and then go about 15 kilometers to get there. The village is located east of Cochelle, from the coffee distribution center of the Yega region, about 80km in the town of Dilla. He joined the Yega Sheffield Farmers' Cooperative Union (YCFCU) in 2010 and currently has 177members. Datu has a good growing environment for coffee trees, with an average annual rainfall of 1400-1800, a high altitude of 1750-2300, and red brown soil rich in minerals and organic matters. at the same time, ​​ coffee trees are planted organically to maintain ecological balance.

YCFCU Yega Xuefei G1 Solar Beckley YCFCU Yirgacheffe G1 Natural Almaz Bekele

Country: Ethiopia

Producing area: Yega Xuefei

Altitude: 1800-2200m

Treatment: insolation

Grade: G1

Variety: original species

Flavor description: tropical fruit juice, white grape, blueberry, orange wine, Body smooth, full of sweetness

Since its establishment in 2002, YCFCU has always worked hard in the direction of quality, market and farmers' mutual benefit. It not only takes care of local farmers economically, but also has completed a number of regional construction projects, such as the construction of piers, schools and power systems. It has also helped in related knowledge and planting technology to improve the quality of raw beans. So far, 26 farmers' cooperatives have joined as partners, with a total of about 300000 small farmers. Small farmers in some Yega producing areas are the direct cooperation objects of YCFCU. Cooperatives directly guide small farmers to harvest ripe cherries and assist in post-processing. The planting area of a single small farmer is very small, and only a few hundred or even dozens of sacks are harvested every year. Almaz Bekele is one of the small farmers he cooperates with. With the guidance and assistance of YCFCU, the Almaz Bekele products tested by Shoucheng this year are really quite mature. Compared with well-known cooperatives, the flavor performance is even better, which is highly recommended.