Gigesa washing station

Gigesa is a small town in the Danbi Uddo Kebele, not far from the town of Shakiso in the Guji Zone of Ethiopia. The Gigesa washing station is owned and operated by the Yonis family, which shares its name with the name of the town and collects cherries from more than 500 coffee growers in the area, each holding approximately 2-5 hectares of farm land, all over 1800 meters above sea level. The Gigesa washing station holds NOP and EU Organic certification. We have had the pleasure of buying coffees from Faysel Yonis since 2015 and the coffee never disappoints! 

Washed process

Freshly picked cherries are delivered to the Gigesa washing station and are floated in water to separate lower qualities before depulping. Traditional disc pulpers are used and the coffee is allowed to rest submerged in water inside fermentation tanks for 36 to 48 hours depending on the weather conditions. During the long fermentation process, the mucilage is broken down and ultimately removed through a final washing of the coffee in the canals. After being fully washed, the coffee is dried on raised beds for 10-12 days.

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.