Ethiopia Worka Chelichele GR1 – Natural Anaerobic

Processing & Origin

• Region: Worka Chelichele, Gedeb, Ethiopia
• Grade: 1 - highest standard
• Process: Anaerobic Natural
• Varieties: JARC varieties , Local Landraces
• Altitude: 1945m - 1970m masl
• Producers: Various smallholder farmers delivering to Worka Chelichele washing station

About Worka Chelichele GR1 – Natural Anaerobic

Farmers selectively handpick ripe cherry and deliver it to the station. At intake, employees visually inspect cherry and accept only fully ripe cherry for anaerobic fermentation. Selected cherry is tightly packed in GrainPro bags and sealed shut. Cherry ferments anaerobically (without oxygen) for 18 to 24 hours.

After fermentation, cherry is carefully removed from bags and laid to dry in direct sunlight on raised beds. Workers turn cherry frequently to promote even drying. It takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks for cherry to dry.

Anaerobic fermentation occurs in sealed containers. The seal means the microbes fueling fermentation quickly consume all the oxygen in the container. At that point, the environment becomes anaerobic (without oxygen). In this new environment, the microbes that typically breathe oxygen have a harder time surviving, and those that flourish on carbon dioxide (the typical byproduct of oxygen-breathing microbes) are able to dominate fermentation.  

Microbes are immensely diverse and have the potential to produce a wide array of flavors in coffees. Aerobic (oxygen-breathing) microbes produce different flavor outcomes than anaerobic ones, so we have the potential to produce vastly different flavors simply by changing the available resources for microbes.