Kochere.

District Description

Kochere District is found in Gedeo Zonal administration of the SNNP, Ethiopia. The district is located at the South Western part of Gedo, 340km away for The Capital Addis Ababa. In relation to the surrounding Kochere is located at lower altitude whichranges between 1700-1900 asl; Medium to high slope with undulating land scape. Rain fall is bimodal; about1800mm, with good distribution. average annual temperature is about 20 degree Celsius. The soil type is Latrice Reddish brown with PH 5.3 to 6.0.

The coffee trees grown under legume shade trees. Farmers practice a traditional agroforestry system where coffee and Inset (False Banana) grow under the shade of large legume trees. The soil is covered with dead leaves of inset so as to maintain soil moisture and fertilize the farm. The overall land looks like a well-maintained forest area when looked from outside.

Production

Our 1435 outgrowing members are producing coffee under close supervision of our field officers. The farmers deliver harvested red cherries to nearby collection site. Our collectors deliver the red cherries to the wet mill site where some of the products enter in to the wet processing system and the rest left to dry naturally on raised African beds. In the wet process the beans first pulped and socked in water to get fermented. After fermentation, the parchment gets washed and sent to beds to dry. After drying the parchment is temporarily stored in the onsite warehouse and finally sent to Bule Hora Processing unit where parchment removal, cleaning, grading, sorting and packing for shipment takes place. Regarding the natural process, the dried cherries are get hulled at our dry mill and then transported to Bule Hora for further cleaning and packing.

Coffee Type

The coffee is typical Yirgacheffe with distinctively floral and fruit-toned flavor, brisk acidity, and balanced coffees from traditional varieties of Arabica long grown and also 74113 varieties.

Processing Unit

Kerchanshe Trading PLC owns 3 processing unit including The Bonde wet Mill Unit in Boji Kebele, the Kore Wet Mill in Kore Kebele and the dry mill at Bedesa Kebele. The annual production Capacity is for parchment and sun-dried green bean. The bonde Wet mill was established in 2010.The annual combined processing capacity of this sites about 8,000,000kg cherries.

Sustainability

As a leading coffee producer and exporter, Kerchanshe Trading PLC follows a self-regulating business model that helps a company to be accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. To this end we are supplying our out growing farmers with the seedlings of coffee plants and also shade tree species.

In addition we are applying sustainability certification systems which direct the company to follow economically viable, socially sound and environmentally acceptable mode of production and processing. Currently Kochere Site has been certified with Organic(EU Regulation, NOP and JAS) Rainforest alliance and Fair Trade certifications.