About the Coffee The Banko Chelchele washing station sits in the Gedeb district of Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe zone, where 396 smallholder farmers bring their coffee cherry to be processed. Farmers in this area grow their coffee at elevations between 1,900 and 2,100 meters above sea level, which puts it among the higher-grown coffees you'll find from Ethiopia. After farmers deliver their cherry to the station, the coffee goes through a full washed process, meaning the fruit is removed before the beans are dried. The beans then dry on raised beds, which allows air to circulate evenly around them. This approach to processing tends to produce cleaner, more defined flavors compared to natural or honey-processed coffees, and it's a good fit for Ethiopian beans grown at this altitude, where the raw material is already working in the coffee's favor. About Bright Jenny Dave Upshaw started Bright Jenny in Kelowna, BC after bouncing through a few different careers first. He spent time as a real estate agent, tried to become a paramedic, and worked in the craft beer industry before committing fully to coffee. He learned to roast on a popcorn maker, then built his own drum roaster out of a BBQ and a stainless steel drum with a modified rotisserie. That machine still lives in the Bright Lab if you want to see it. Dave's sourcing philosophy is pretty straightforward: coffee quality starts at the farm, and roasters are just trying to get out of the way. Bright Jenny pays a premium and sources as directly as possible so farmers see more of the money, which Dave figures gives them the means to keep improving the coffee. The company has had its share of chaos over the years, including a rebranding after a legal threat from a billionaire and a shop vac that caught fire in the roastery, but the throughline has always been the people, both the team behind the counter and the customers coming through the door. "Bright Jenny is another roaster we love for how seriously they take their craft without taking themselves too seriously. The result: a panel of excellently roasted and delicious coffees that fit a broad set of tastes. The owner (Dave Upshaw) himself considers their dark roast, Smoke & Mirrors, among his favourites, to which Dave says: 'yes, coffee nerds are allowed to like dark roasts.'" - Dean, Director of Coffee
