{"product_id":"sasaba-washing-station","title":"SASABA WASHING STATION","description":"\u003csection id=\"about\" class=\"section about font-normal bg-beige\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"row no-gutters\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"col-md-6\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"section__block section__block--about right\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe road to the Sasaba Washing Station\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHead south on the Addis Ababa-Moyale highway, keep going past Yirgacheffe and drive through the otherworldly cloud-crowned mountains of the area, and you’ll eventually make it to the bustling little town of Bule Hora.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSnaking away from Bule Hora are older roads – strikingly different from, and much more challenging than, the new highway that leads to them – that carry you on muddy paths to verdant hills and green fields.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is around this fertile area of Kercha district that Tsegay Hagos Tesfaye, founder and owner of Sasaba, has established two washing stations and mills that Trabocca sources from – one of which is Sasaba.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEquipped with a large pulper and over 600 African drying beds, Sasaba processes coffee received from over 500 smallholders working in the hills surrounding the wet mill. Like much of Kercha, the small plots of land around Sasaba sit at high altitudes around the 2000-meter mark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Sasaba smallholders\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Sasaba smallholders are a mix of Gedeo and Guji farmers, many of whom have lived here for generations, growing coffee next to each other. Similar to the rest of Kercha district, most of the farmers identify as Protestant Christians in this area. Their coffee grows on the slopes of the hills around Sasaba shaded by a mix of existing forest trees and those planted by the farmers, such as\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eenset\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(false banana) trees.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"section section--beige section--center\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"container\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"row\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"col\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"section__content wordpress__content\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePremiums for quality coffee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Sasaba mill makes it a point to work with the more experienced farmers in the area. These are farmers that have been well-trained and have proven that they consistently produce high-quality coffee. Working alone, it would be harder for these farmers to market and sell their coffee. In the past, they would have sold their freshly picked red cherries directly to private traders in the area at low rates.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"section section--beige section--center\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"container\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"row\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"col\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"section__content wordpress__content\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e“Sasaba does not grow alone” Tsegay Hagos Tesfaye\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTsegay Hagos knows that the success of the Sasaba mill is closely tied to that of the smallholders. “Sasaba does not grow alone”, he says, adding, “We support our farmers and train them, so they can one day export their own coffee.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe company has a very close relationship with the farmers who it works with, always ready to lend a helping hand – whether it means transportation for medical emergencies or loans during the lean months of the rainy season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“We are by their side, whatever happens”, says Tsegay, “and because of that, they are by ours”, he adds. This leads to a positive spiral, with both smallholder and mill benefiting from better coffee and better sales.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"section section--no-padding section--white\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"row no-gutters\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"order-lg-2 col-lg-6\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"section__block section__block--image loaded\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"order-lg-1 col-lg-6\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"section__block\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"section__block--title\"\u003eProcessing at Sasaba\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"section__content wordpress__content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt Sasaba washing station, the red cherries are collected from late October until December and brought to the Sasaba washing station. Cherries, intended for washed processing, are processed on-site and fermented for about 48 to 72 hours before they are placed on the drying beds for around 7 to 8 days. The natural coffees are usually dried for 15 to 20 days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e","brand":"Stray Coffee Roasters","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57489729356156,"sku":null,"price":17.4,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0930\/1822\/7068\/files\/Ethiopia_Sasaba_Washed.png?v=1790166577","url":"https:\/\/stray.coffee\/products\/sasaba-washing-station","provider":"Stray Coffee Roasters","version":"1.0","type":"link"}