Anodyne Coffee Roasting Company // Ethiopia Gelana Abaya

Ethiopia Gelana Abaya wet mill is located just northwest of the town of Yirgacheffe, on the eastern slopes of the range of hills that separate Yirgacheffe from Lake Abaya. During our visit in November 2015 we were blown away by how tidy the facilities were and how well maintained the equipment appeared. The depulping machinery and fermentation tanks were all pristine, and the drying beds all in fantastic condition.

Also extremely impressive was the teamwork of the workers at the wet mill. A group of a dozen or so worked together with long wooden paddles to stir up the fermenting parchment coffee before washing through the concrete channels to ensure removal of loose mucilage from the parchment. Another several dozen workers sorted drying parchment coffees together on raised beds, both groups singing in time to the rhythm of their activities.*