Yaye

Yaye is a privately-owned washing station that is located in the Arbegona woreda (administrative district) in Ethiopia’s Sidama zone. The washing station is found in the kebele (local village) of Chericho, and is one of twenty owned and managed by Testi Coffee, a family-owned company founded by Mr Faysel A. Yonis.

Sitting at 2,230m above sea level, Yaye produces exceptional washed, natural and special preparation lots. Built in 2021, the washing station is one of Testi’s premium sites, meaning it only accepts the highest quality cherry, and farmers receive added payments for those lots. Premium sites are selected for their regional characteristics (Yaye, for example, was built next to the Gelana River), as these can streamline processing and guarantee they only receive cherry from local farmers who grow coffee under exceptionally prodigious conditions.

During harvest, freshly picked coffee cherry is delivered daily by some 300 independent outgrowers from the kebeles surrounding the nearby Tulecha mountain. The majority of the families that contribute to this lot farm organically on tiny plots of land, which average just one hectare in size. Coffee is their main cash crop and grows alongside food crops of corn, grain and bananas, under the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees. The average elevation of the farms in this region is very high – around 1,995–2,230m above sea level – and this, combined region’s cool temperatures, is ideal for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile.

Historically, Sidamo refers to a wide geographical region encompassing much of central-south Ethiopia, that is well known for producing exceptional natural and washed coffees. The region is located in Ethiopia’s South East Coffee Zone, and includes renowned coffee-producing localities such as Yirgacheffe, Kochere, West Arsi, Bensa and Guji. Sidamo extends across the states of Oromia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR), two of eleven ethnically-based regional states of Ethiopia. After a 2019 Referendum, some of the territories that fall under the the Sidamo coffee region have separated from the SNNPR and become the autonomous Sidamo regional state.

Coffees that are grown and processed in Sidamo showcase an extremely diverse range of flavour profiles, and are noted for their intensely fruit-forward, tea-like, floral and complex character that is sought after worldwide. It is widely accepted that the coffee species, Arabica, originated in the lush forests of southern forests of Ethiopia and hence growing conditions in this area are perfectly suited for producing exquisite coffees.