Firē profile

‘Firē’ (ፍሬ) represents ‘fruit’ in the Amharic language. The Firē profile was developed to deliver consistent fruit-forward flavors and a complimentary chocolate aftertaste, perfect for utilizing as a blend component with some versatility.

This year, our Firē profile comes from the Sewda Station. The Sewda site is located just outside of the Shakiso town and has NOP and EU Organic certifications. Sewda was set up to process and dry naturals (fruit-dried) coffees. 

Natural process

The blend from the Sewda site consists of 85% well-ripe, 10% reddish-ripe and 5% over-ripe cherries. The improved natural processing that is done here is unique in that cherries are soaked in fresh water for 12 hours before laying out to dry. This soaking enables floaters to be removed and “helps to initiate the sugar reaction inside the cherry” resulting in a honey-like sweetness. 

After the soaking process, cherries are laid on raised beds with a thickness of 5cm where they are monitored and turned frequently each day. The raised beds are strategically located in an area that receives little sunlight and high winds which blow through and create an even drying that takes only around 15 days to complete. 

Project Direct

Faysel and his team at Testi Trading makes significant investments in the communities that they operate in through their Project Direct initiatives. So far they have completed construction of multiple primary schools and even the first ever high school in the town of Hamasho, a small town in Sidama.