Ethiopia Alo Coffee Natural

Founded by Tamiru Tadesse, Alo Coffee bridges the gap between Sidama's quality potential and market recognition. Just one year after establishment, his work earned 1st place at the 2021 Ethiopia Cup of Excellence, validating his processing rigor and establishing Alo as a competition-caliber operation.

Alo aggregates selectively picked cherries from Bensa smallholders at 2,400 meters above sea level, paying significant premiums while providing agronomy training and community development support. This model channels value to growers while maintaining the quality control required for specialty-grade lots. Bensa's highland altitude and cool airflow slow cherry maturation, concentrating sugars and developing the floral complexity Sidama coffees are known for.

This natural process lot showcases fruit-forward fermentation where whole cherries sun-dry on raised beds in thin layers for 3 to 6 weeks. The extended contact between seed and fruit during drying imparts body, sweetness, and the complex berry-floral profile, representing the birthplace of Arabica coffee with 10,000-15,000 distinct indigenous varietals.