Story
Ture Waji & Sookoo Coffee
Nestled in the hills of Shakiso, Guji, the Suke drying station was established in 2017 and quickly became the vibrant heart of Sookoo Coffee. For five years, it played a pivotal role until the addition of the Sawana drying station and Weessi washing station.
Ture, a local with deep-rooted ties to the land and its people, has a remarkable story. Growing up in the region, he returned after his studies to become an export and farm manager at his cousin’s Mormora farm and later at Guji Highlands Coffee. The liberalisation of coffee trade in Ethiopia opened new doors, allowing him to launch Sookoo Coffee back in 2018. That year marked a significant milestone as he built his first drying station and exported his own coffee under his own brand.
Beyond harvests, Ture and his dedicated team actively engage with local farmers, providing education on sustainable agricultural practices to enhance cherry quality. Their commitment extends to a ‘woman-first’ policy at the washing stations, empowering local women and fostering community development. Additionally, Sookoo Coffee has invested in local infrastructure, building schools for children and improving roads to better connect the community.
Processing
Suke station purchases cherries from roughly 35 smallholders to produce this lot. The cherries are collected by hand and carefully sorted upon arrival. The coffee then undergoes anoxic fermentation in plastic containers for about 72 hours, with acceptable durations ranging from 48 to 100 hours. Post-fermentation, the coffee is graded in channels; cherries of lower quality (less dense) float and are removed, leaving the denser, superior beans to be sorted as higher-grade lots.
The coffee then gets dried on raised beds for 25 days. Cherries are spead into 2-8 cm layers, with the thickness adjusted based on the climate, the type of drying tables, and the drying stage. The result is an incredibly clean and complex coffee full of florals and spices which is something not commonly found in coffees from this region.