Ethiopia

Shanta Golba

"Pomegranate · mixed-berry jam · dark chocolate"

Altitude: 2,500 MASL
Varietals: Heirloom Arabica
Process: Natural · handpicked
Harvest: October–February

The story

Behind the bag.

Shanta Golba is a small farming community in Ethiopia's Sidamo region — the birthplace of coffee. The combination of altitude (2,500 meters above sea level), volcanic soil, and centuries of cultivation knowledge produces some of the most distinctive coffee on earth.

The cherries are handpicked at peak ripeness and dried on raised African beds for 18-21 days. The natural process means the bean stays inside the cherry while it dries, absorbing every bit of fruit sugar — which is why this lot tastes like pomegranate jam in liquid form.

We buy through a partner who has worked with the Shanta Golba farmers for over a decade. The premium we pay above C-market sits with the farmers, not the broker.

Sustainability practices

How this coffee is grown.

Shade-grown under native canopy — protects biodiversity, no deforestation
Heirloom varietals (not commodity hybrids) preserve indigenous coffee genetics
Living-wage premium paid above C-market price
No synthetic fertilizers; cherries are picked individually for ripeness

Challenges & opportunities

Climate change is shifting Ethiopia's growing zones uphill. Higher altitudes preserve flavor, but they're harder to access and more expensive to farm. Our continued purchases help fund the infrastructure for higher-elevation cultivation.

Why we work with them

Ethiopian naturals like Shanta Golba are the gateway coffee for most specialty drinkers — once you taste this, you understand why people get obsessed with single-origin. We carry it as our origin-explorer's introduction.

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