Meet Tower Roasting's Yirgacheffe Farmer

When sourcing our beans to reach our goal of Flavor Above All, we carefully consider the origin of each of our coffee beans. Our goal is always to choose farms using sustainable practices. We aim to partner with farmers that not only consider the environment but also invest in the people involved in growing the coffee.

And that’s why we’ve partnered with the Adado cooperative to source our Yirgacheffe Ethiopian single-origin coffee. 

Yirgacheffe Ethiopian Coffee Origin

Grower
Adado Cooperative

Variety
Indigenous Cultivars

Region
Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia

Harvest
October – December

Altitude
1750 – 2350 masl

Soil
Luvisols

Process
Fully washed and dried on raised beds

Certifications
Organic

The History of Ethiopian Coffee

Coffee traces its origin back centuries to ancient forests on the Ethiopian plateau. Legend has it a 6th-century goatherder named Kaldi noticed that his goats became energized after eating the berries from a certain tree — so much that they didn’t want to sleep at night. Kaldi chewed on the berries himself and became energized, too. He enthusiastically gathered some of the fruit and brought them to a local monastery to share his find.

The head monk promptly declared that the berries were the “devil’s work” and threw them into the fire. But then a powerful, delicious scent arose from the fire. The head monk ordered that hot embers be pulled from the fire and water poured over them to preserve the aroma.

After tasting the concoction, the monk felt an energizing feeling come over him and he enjoyed hours of focus and concentration. Soon the news of the alluring drink spread in Ethiopia and throughout the world. 

The Ethiopian Coffee Ritual

In Ethiopian culture, coffee has many expressions with life, sustenance, and social relationships. A well-known saying is “Buna dabo naw” meaning “Coffee is our bread.”

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is shared between family and friends. Fresh Arabica beans are roasted, hand-ground, brewed, and filtered. Some may add sugar, but many add salt. Light, savory snacks such as peanuts, salted popcorn, or roasted barley are typically served.

The Perfect Coffee Growing Climate of Yirgacheffe

Yirgacheffe translates to “land of many springs”. Growing in a perfect climate of Southern Ethiopia, the Yirgacheffe small, green coffee bean is harvested cleanly without typical agronomic chemicals. The coffee plants thrive naturally in warm, higher elevations abundant with water, vegetation, rich, red-brown fertile soil under the shade of the Babira, Cordia, and Africana trees. 

Tower Roasting’s Yirgacheffe Coffee

Our Yirgacheffe is a certified organic coffee sourced from the Adado cooperative located within Yirgacheffe in the Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Regions of Ethiopia. In 2002, the cooperative joined the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmer’s Collective Union (YCFCU), an umbrella organization that supports a sustainable coffee supply from cooperatives in the Gedeo ethnic region of Ethiopia. There are twenty-six other cooperatives affiliated with the YCFCU totaling more than 45,000 members.

The farmers in Yirgacheffe are often generational landholders with a few acres of land. They handpick the coffee cherries randomly only as each is perfectly ripe and ready. The cherries go to centralized washing stations that help further separate their flavor profiles.

Our Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee is grown in luvisols and processed, fully washed, and dried on raised beds. Its mellow, light-bodied flavor and captivating aroma make it one of the most loved coffees the world over. The bean’s distinctive features include:

• Perfect light to medium-roast coffee
• Floral and citrus notes with hints of berries, nuts, and chocolate
• Ideal flavor for both hot and cold brews
• An organic-certified coffee from the world’s most famous growing region

Tower Roasting’s Yirgacheffe reveals fruitier berry flavors highlighted in most brewing methods—we love exploring the full range of flavors using the French Press and are thrilled to offer this coffee in our convenient SUPERPOD. The pour-over method brings out a sweeter acidity and highlights its blueberry notes. When paired with fruit, tart desserts, or chocolate, you’ll experience even more sumptuous complexity. Morning dishes like Broiled Citrus Ricotta Toast, Fruit Danish, or Swedish Pancakes and fresh berries match nicely. Tower's gourmet Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is pure heaven.