Coffee in Ethiopia
Since its discovery, coffee in Ethiopia has transcended its status as a mere beverage. It has become an almost inseparable part of daily Ethiopian life. Ethiopia contributes just 3 percent to the global coffee market, yet it provides over 15 million jobs locally. When we launched our business in 2009, our vision was to innovate in an industry that we believed represented more than just an export commodity. We see coffee as one of life’s little luxuries; a catalyst for meaningful social interactions and a source of inspiration for millions worldwide.
Since its inception, Romina Coffee has been dedicated to not only upholding Ethiopia’s esteemed reputation in the coffee world but also surpassing it.
Coffee in Ethiopia
Since its discovery, coffee in Ethiopia has transcended its status as a mere beverage. It has become an almost inseparable part of daily Ethiopian life. Ethiopia contributes just 3 percent to the global coffee market, yet it provides over 15 million jobs locally. When we launched our business in 2009, our vision was to innovate in an industry that we believed represented more than just an export commodity. We see coffee as one of life’s little luxuries; a catalyst for meaningful social interactions and a source of inspiration for millions worldwide.
Since its inception, Romina Coffee has been dedicated to not only upholding Ethiopia’s esteemed reputation in the coffee world but also surpassing it.
The beans that make great cups of coffee
We operate coffee washing and drying plants in all coffee-growing regions of Ethiopia, including Sidamo, Limmu, Yirgachefe, Guji, and Nekempte, with an annual production capacity of 3000-3500 tons. Understanding the importance of exceptional coffee, we strive to deliver beans that honor the legacy of Ethiopian coffee. We achieve this by ensuring that everyone involved in the process shares our passion for coffee. We meticulously source the finest beans to create exceptional cups of coffee. Over the years, the Romina name has become synonymous with high-quality Ethiopian Coffee.
After purchasing, processing, and delivering the coffee to our stores, we conduct cupping tests on each batch to identify the perfect match for every flavor profile in our liquor unit. Our strict standards and procedures guarantee that each batch we offer is tailored to suit our specific markets. We implement global quality assurance standards in our facilities and carefully handpick the beans to eliminate any imperfections.
Our sophisticated tracking systems enable us to trace the entire journey of our coffee from the farm to the cup. We have the capability to access tracking data at any given time, capturing every crucial detail up to the point of delivery. Additionally, among our 24 wet mill stations, nine are dedicated to producing specialty coffee that holds prestigious certifications like Cafe Practice, Organic, Rainforest, AAA, and Fair Trade.
Wet Mill Stations
We operate 24 wet mill stations in the largest coffee-producing regions across the country, strategically located at optimal altitudes to nurture coffee beans. Each location specializes in a type of coffee that exhibits unique characteristics and flavor profiles.
We collaborate with over 30,000 farmers who cultivate beans with diverse flavor profiles across the 24 wet mill stations. Additionally, Romina has partnered with more than 6,000 smallholder coffee farmers to assist them in producing specialty coffee in the Oromia regional state, including Guji, Dimtu, Anfilo, and Nansabo. The coffee produced in Guji and Nansabo areas is graded equivalently to Yirgachefe and Sidama coffee, respectively.
Our facilities are fully equipped with coffee processing and washing machinery, as well as other innovative infrastructure, ensuring that our coffee processing is both productive and efficient while maintaining the highest quality standards. Upon purchasing, processing, and delivering coffee to our stores, we conduct cup tests on each batch to determine the ideal customers for every flavor profile in our liquor unit. We adhere to rigorous standards and procedures, guaranteeing that each batch we provide is indeed the best for our specific markets. Our plants follow global standard quality assurance practices, including hand-picking to ensure the removal of imperfect beans.
- BY Goda Yamasira Eshel Buna Pulping Enterprise PlcSeptember 4, 2017
BY Goda Yamasira Eshel Buna Pulping Enterprise PlcGrade 1 Sidama coffee from 650 small holder farmers
- Zenebe Simret & Esatu Coffee Preparation PlcSeptember 4, 2017
Zenebe Simret & Esatu Coffee Preparation PlcHigh quality Sidama Grade 1 coffee
- Hagire Buticha Eshet Bunna PlcSeptember 4, 2017
Hagire Buticha Eshet Bunna PlcHigh quality Grade 1 Sidama coffee
- Michael Girma wet mill stationSeptember 4, 2017
Michael Girma wet mill stationHigh quality Grade 1 Sidama coffee
We aim to increase the production capacity of each wet mill stations we work with. We work with farmers in Sidama (Chiri, Bensa, Bona Zuriya, Aroresa and Wensho Wereda), to ensure every coffee bean we produce is of the best quality. Each site (see table below) is financed at different capacities to further control the quality of the beans. These investment guarantee that farmers focus on the quality of the output.
List of our partner milling stations
| Station | Location | Source Farmers | Volume of Coffee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astatke Menafesha Site | Region–Sidama, Woreda-Wonsho, Kebele–Menafesha | 300 farmers | 456,000 Kg of red cherry (Hand-picked High-quality coffee) |
| Belete Tanga Site | Region – Sidama, Woreda – Bona, Kebele – Odahe | 500 farmers | 350,000 Kg of red cherry (Hand-picked High-quality coffee) |
| Astatke Abebe Site | Region – Sidama, Woreda – Hoko Girja, Kebele – Jengelo | 2,700 farmers | 750,000 Kg of red cherry (Hand-picked High-quality coffee) |
| Astatke Zemed Site 2 | Region – Sidama, Woreda – Hoko Girja, Kebele – Sadeka | 2,700 farmers (they have a common supplier with Astatke Abebe because they are almost in the same place) | 500,000 Kg of red cherry (Hand-picked High-quality coffee) |
| Tamirat Tafese (Jangalo Tadota) | Region – Sidama, Woreda – Hoko Girja, Kebele – Jangalo | 2500 farmers are supplying a coffee and there are 50 registered model farmers who are working with the site | 850,000Kg of red cherry (Hand-picked High-quality coffee) |
| Zenebe Dikicha Site | Region – Sidama, Woreda – Aroresa, Kebele – Dikicha | 400 farmers | 300,000Kg of red cherry (Hand-picked High-quality coffee) |
| Shumbulo Site | |||
| Astatke Abebe (Arabe) Site | |||
| Asnake & His friends site | |||
| Ashenafi Dika site | |||
| Zenebe Rike site | |||
| Gashu Tafese Site | |||
| Oddi Boku Site | |||
Corporate Social Responsibility
We also see coffee as the biggest opportunity to make positive impact across the farming community. Ethiopia produces only 3 percent from the world’s coffee market. This is partly because, while the Ethiopian lands are favourable for coffee cultivation, we still have a long way to go in terms of production volume. This is something that can be remedied with the proper training and accreditation that can enhance the average Ethiopian coffee farmer’s capacity.
Part of what hampers development in the Ethiopian Coffee market is the lack of proper knowledge transfer. It’s what keeps our country from increasing production capacity and quality. Training is also something Romina believes in and something that has to be accessible to the small holder farmers. This is why when we partner with farmers, we ensure that each farmer goes through several trainings. In addition to training, we provide farmers disease resistant variety coffee seedlings and shade trees free of charge to allow them to have constant business across the agricultural year. Similarly, we buy the beans with higher pricing schemes that safeguard the farmers earnings. This is in addition to a percentage once sales have been completed.