Ocholo Bedecho, Ethiopia — Washed Filter

Mr Ocholo Bedecho produces coffee in Haro Wachu, in the Uraga district of Guji, Oromia. His farm sits around 12 kilometres from the town itself, at high elevation — around 2200–2300 metres above sea level — where Guji’s cool climate, red soils and forested landscape help produce coffees with clarity, sweetness and a distinct fruit profile.

Ocholo owns eight hectares of coffee land, which is considered relatively large for the area. Like many Ethiopian producers, coffee is the main source of income for his family, though they also grow vegetables and enset — sometimes called false banana — for household food. He is the father of eight children, two daughters and six sons, and the family works together on the farm. Income from coffee has helped him send all of his children to school, with the children helping on the farm when they can.

This lot is part of Café Imports’ Single Farmer Project, a program designed to create more traceability around Ethiopian coffee and give individual producers a clearer place in the supply chain. Rather than being blended anonymously into a larger regional lot, Ocholo’s coffee is kept separate and sold under his own name. For us, that traceability matters: it gives more context to the cup, and better recognises the work of the producer behind it.

In the cup, this coffee carries the elegance we look for in high-grown Guji: soft stone fruit, gentle chocolate, fruit-like sweetness and a mild, juicy acidity. It is expressive without being heavy, and shows why Uraga continues to be one of Ethiopia’s most compelling coffee-producing areas.