Tariku Kare, Bensa

In the heart of Nensebo woreda, Refisa washing station purchases from a total of 593 farmers delivering red cherry from Refisa, Roricho, Bulga and Riripa villages. Located in Oromia, about 400km south of Addis Ababa, Nensebo woreda is home to a collection of smallholder farmers spanning 5,000 hectares of coffee at extraordinarily high elevations up to 2200 masl. The average farm size in Nensebo is two hectares and contains a mix of local coffee varieties, including wild varietals originating from the neighboring forests. Nensebo is a new coffee growing area, categorized as Sidama D on the ECX coffee map.

The story of the washing station’s owner, Tariku Kare, is one of the success that comes when hard work and perseverence collide with opportunity. Tariku was born in Bombe and, at 15 years old, began working as a cherry sorter for a local cooperative. He worked his way—first receiving a promotion to wash coffee in the channels, and then when a man from Awassa opened a washing station in Nansebo, he was tapped to manage. The market disruptions led that owner to bankruptcy so Tariku and 17 other workers at the washing station formed a company, opened a new washing—which Tariku managed. Later, he opened a new washing station by himself—this one, in Arsi—to supply coffee to the international market. Once that mill in Nansebo was stabilized and had enough producers contributing cherry, he returned to his hometown of Bombe and built a washing station there. At his sites, Tariku pays a premium over local prices for ripe red cherry and works hard to incentivize farmers to deliver cherry to his washing stations each year.