Ethiopia –– Tigist Family

This coffee comes to us through an unlikely chain of events — one that began at SCA in Houston and ended, somehow, an hour up the road in Salida.

In April 2025, Stephen and I attended the Specialty Coffee Association expo. Out of the thousands of coffees being poured that weekend, one stood out above the rest: a natural Ethiopian from Ephtah Specialty Coffee, a women-founded exporter led by Wubit Bekele. We met Wubit and her husband Sherlock at their booth and left Houston genuinely moved by the coffee, though bringing it back to Westcliffe felt like a long shot.

Months later, Bryan of Mountain Phoenix Coffee reached out. He had two extra bags of an exceptional Ethiopia natural and thought our customers might appreciate them. When we sampled it, there was no question. It was the same coffee. Out of everything poured at SCA that year, the one that had stayed with us happened to be sitting just an hour away. We drove up to Salida as soon as we could.

The coffee itself comes from Tigist, who manages just two hectares in Gotiti, within the Gedeb district of Ethiopia's Gedeo Zone. On a farm this size, every harvest is personal. During peak season, as many as 150 people assist with picking and drying — selecting only ripe cherry, laying it on raised beds, and turning it constantly over 10 to 20 days to ensure even drying. This is not a regional blend or cooperative composite. It is the work of one family and one carefully managed lot.

Coffees like this are still genuinely rare in Ethiopia. While the country is home to countless smallholder farmers, very few individual family farms are able to export true single-farm nano lots under their own name. That requires intentional partnerships, export infrastructure, and a supply chain built around transparency. Tigist works exclusively with Ephtah, and through Wubit's model of relationship-based sourcing, farmers like Tigist are true partners — not just suppliers.

In a country known for coffee, a lot like this is rare enough on its own. For it to find its way back to us the way it did feels even rarer. We're glad it did.

Profile

• Roast: Light
• Region: Gedeb, Gedeo Zone, Ethiopia
• Farm: Tigist Family (Gotiti)
• Process: Natural
• Elevation: 1,900–2,100 MASL
• Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom
• Cup: Blueberry, White Peach, Agave