The Alya Washing Station was established, managed and operated by Testi Trading. Testi oversees all quality protocols, manages the stations during on & offseason, and mills and exports the products. They work with smallholder farmers, intending to secure the very best prices for their coffee so that they can pay fair prices for the cherry delivered. 400 smallholder farmers deliver cherry to the three different Shantawene collection points. About The Region The Sidamo zone, also known as Sidama, is a coffee area found in the state of Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR). Because Sidama is the name of the politically defined province, we like to treat Sidamo as the, much larger, coffee zone that encompasses several other zones and woredas outside of Sidama. Sidama peopleSidama has a population of around 3.5 million, who speak the Cushitic language Sidamigna. As all other ethnic groups in the country, they have their own traditions, culture, and celebrate their own New Year called “Fiche Chembelala” (UNESCO inscribed it as world heritage in 2015). The people take great pride in this. Characteristics and useThe strength of Sidamo lies in its variety which often results in a profound complexity of taste. The farmers in Sidamo grow their own unique varietals on small pieces of land and deliver their yields to processing sites. This results in a blend of “mixed heirloom” that gives Sidamo coffee its sought-after complexity. Sidamo coffee is often used as a single but could also be the pillar of a strong blend.
