Ethiopia Sidamo Natural Chire Washing Station

Coffee is ancient in Ethiopia, but coffee farming is not. In the highlands of Sidama, Arabica still grows wild along the edge of the Harenna Forest, much as it has for over a thousand years. This lot comes from cherries gathered in the shadow of the Bale Mountains.

OriginEthiopia RegionSidama Elevation2,000m and above ProcessNatural (Sun-Dried) VarietyIndigenous Heirloom The Source

The Edge of the Harenna Forest

Sidama is the most productive coffee region in Ethiopia, and its reputation rests on a rare combination of high altitude, abundant rainfall, and fertile volcanic soil. Here, more than 700 smallholder farmers tend an average of two hectares each, often working plots above 2,000 meters where the cool nights slow cherry development and concentrate sugars in the fruit.

The land borders the Harenna Forest, one of the last places on earth where Arabica still grows wild beneath the canopy. The coffee carries the deep genetic diversity of those native trees, an indigenous heirloom mix that gives Sidama its distinctive aromatic complexity. Cherries from across these scattered farms are gathered and brought by hand to the Chire Washing Station for processing.

The Craft

Three Weeks on the Raised Beds

At Chire, the ripe cherries are spread whole across raised patio beds and left to dry in the sun, the oldest method in coffee and still the most demanding. Drying takes around three weeks. Workers rotate the cherries regularly for even airflow and cover them through the searing midday hours so the skin does not scorch. As the fruit slowly dries around the seed, its sugars and esters migrate inward, building the heavy body and jammy depth that define a great natural process coffee.

We roast this coffee to City+ at our Virginia Beach roastery, a level chosen to protect the fruit. Push the roast darker and the boysenberry and blueberry flatten into generic sweetness. Stopping just past first crack keeps the berry character forward while rounding out the cocoa in the finish.

Boysenberry Blueberry Plum Milk Chocolate BodyHeavy AciditySoft The Cup

Fruit-Forward and Full

This is natural-process Ethiopia at its most generous. The cup leads with ripe boysenberry and blueberry, then settles into plum and a clean note of milk chocolate as it cools. The body is heavy and almost syrupy, the acidity soft and easy, which makes the fruit read as dessert rather than as brightness. It is an approachable, full-bodied coffee that rewards a slower brew.

Find Your Fix

The heavy body and berry sweetness make this a natural for pour-over. A Chemex or V60 keeps the cup clean and lets the fruit stretch out, while an Aeropress concentrates the plum and chocolate for a richer mug. It also makes an excellent cold brew. Browse the full lineup of coffee beans and find your fix.

Roasted in small batches at our Virginia Beach roastery.

Packaged in reusable glass mason jars, returned locally for reuse. Solar-roasted.

Virginia Beach, VA