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Coffee leader Kerchanshe champions Brazilian growing methods

16-02-2024

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Coffee leader Kerchanshe champions Brazilian growing methods In the space of a few years, the new sponsor of African Fine Coffees Association has become one of the largest producers and exporters in Ethiopia and could now be a source of inspiration for new growing techniques, from Uganda to Malawi. For his first time as a sponsor of the African Fine Coffees Association's conference and exhibition in Addis Ababa from 6 to 10 February, Israel Degfa, the founder of Kerchanshe Trading, hosted coffee producers and exporters from around Africa at his 200-hectare plantation Debeka in southern Ethiopia. The coffee farm is located near Yirgacheffe in the Oromia region. The Debeka coffee farm provides 5% of the roughly 25,000 tonnes Kerchanshe exports each year.

Those present included representatives of Sable Farming, a group of Malawi coffee farms owned by British giant Global Tea & Commodities, Ugandan coffee exporter Rwenzori Sustainable Trade Centre, and Binagro, the Ethiopian distributor of Norwegian fertiliser producer Nordox. 

Modern techniques

Taking inspiration from the large mechanised coffee farms in Brazil, Kerchanshe, now Ethiopia's biggest coffee exporter, has pushed for a more modern approach to the way coffee is grown in the country.

Unlike farms that use shade-grown crops that only begin to produce seeds after the third year, the Debeke coffee farm grows its coffee plants in full sunlight and can start production within 18 months. The farmers cover the roots with large plastic sheets, designed to last ten years, paired with a regulated irrigation system.

Italian firm Metzer, formerly Metzerplas Industries, has helped Kerchanshe develop the technique by providing most of the equipment and making regular site inspections. Nevertheless, introducing the changes needed to grow the plants in that way is expensive. It costs around $6,000 per hectare, meaning an investment of at least $1.2m for the Debeke coffee farm alone.

Government support

Degfa, a third generation coffee farmer, has received support from the authorities in recent years, including from the Oromia region president Shimelis Abdisa and the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority. 

Kerchanshe's largest buyers are US coffee giant Starbucks, with 5,000 tonnes per annum, and the German chain Tchibo, with 2,000 tonnes a year. In its search for new clients (AI, 06/12/23), Kerchanshe also reached out to Starbucks' Chinese competitor, Luckin Coffee Roasting.

Gilbert Gatali, a prominent coffee entrepreneur in Rwanda and managing director of the African Fine Coffees Association since June last year, personally convinced Defga to sponsor the association's 20th African fine coffees conference this year.

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