MOHAMED ALI HONEY

Our relationship with Mohamed Ali started in 2018, when Ethiopian laws allowed smaller estates to export directly. Mohameds son, Mustafa Mohamed, took the chance and looked for an international roast partner to work exclusively with. Lucky us. Since then, grade one coffees jumped from 20% to over 60%, and circumstances both technically but also for the workers improved. 

THE CUP
Honey coffees are still rare in Ethiopia. Mustafa Mohamed only started producing them three years ago. We find that this is his best honey year so far. The SCA scoring is slightly higher than the scoring of his natural version. 

This coffee has exciting notes of peach, wild mountain honey and tons of florals. Bergamot and sweet key lime flavours are shining through in the cooling. Tropical aromas will hit your nose when you open your bag of beans. This honey coffee is clean and juicy. 

The Farm
When entering the estate you walk into pristine forest. The nature is untouched and coffee grows wild. Bees and fruit trees are offering a great mix of crop and additional income when coffee is off season. At 2050 meter elevation we are way up in Ethiopias highlands with great temperature changes between day and night creating beautiful flavour profiles. Mohamed Ali invests in labour, selective picking, more drying beds and honey coffee production. We bought a natural and a honey lot. The farm is now also certified organic.

The Producer
Mustafa Mohamed Ali is the son of Mohamed Ali who went to Egypt for education. On his way back from Egypt, Mohamed Ali stopped over in Jimma and it was there where he was asked to open a Koran school. The building still exists on the Boto site. Mustafa runs the farm with the help of his brother, but he was waiting for a partner to be able to expand and improve. Our export partner Belco was able to offer him financing and loans so he has working capital, and with our exclusive relationship he can calculate how much he will earn over the season and plan accordingly. Because of this support he has been able to begin massive upgrades on the farm to improve quality even more in coming seasons.

The Processing
Coffee cherries grow in half shades. Mustafa Mohamed Ali started producing honeys with the help of our export partner, Belco. Since honey coffees are still rare in Ethiopia, it gives the Estate a competitive advantage. Also, honey coffees dry faster than naturals which helps being a lot more efficient at the peak of the harvest.