Lucky Peach Espresso

Decades before third-wave coffee was even a thing, Shonora Gata (pictured left) was blazing the trail in the early 1990s when he opened a washing station in Dogo Sakicha and a dry milling facility in Gerba town.

Now his son, Morkata Shonora, is in charge. I asked Morkata to share a bit about his backstory in coffee, and he put it so well that I’ll include it verbatim:

"Growing up in Guji, it was only natural for me to eventually become involved in this family business, although I needed to complete my education first, as my dad was very dedicated to seeing all his children finish school before joining him. My father retired 10 years ago, and since then my older brother, Adugna Shonora, and I have taken over the operations. I am also proud to be a co-founder of [the exporter] Mira Coffee.

We currently operate five washing stations and four drying stations in the Gerba Dogo region. In addition, we have one washing station and four drying stations in the Suke Quto region. Recently, we constructed a new washing station and dry milling facility in Dimtu Hambala, bringing our total to around sixteen stations across these Guji regions."

Gerba Dogo is managed day to day by Galgalo Gea, and as Morkata put it, he’s lucky to have him. I’d say that Galgalo and Morkata are clearly doing something right. The Gerba Dogo site is no small operation, handling one million kilograms of red coffee cherries. It’s an impressive feat to produce quality at that volume, but they pull it off. Kudos.

I asked Morkata what special steps he and his team take to make their coffee the best it can be. Here’s what he said:

"In preparation for the coffee harvest, we dedicate much of our time to collaborating with local farmers. Our experts guide them on proper cherry-picking techniques and the essential steps throughout the processing. The coffee we produce comes from within a two-kilometer radius, and the majority of the cherries are delivered directly by the farmers. Upon arrival at our stations, the coffee undergoes a sorting process before pulping. We take care to ensure that all of our drying beds are sheltered, which allows us to dry the beans slowly and effectively. Each drying bed can accommodate between 800 and 1,000 kilograms of coffee at once, ensuring optimal drying conditions."

I greatly appreciate this care and attention. It’s remarkable anywhere, but especially in Ethiopia.