Alo Zero Fermentation

By now, the small region of Bensa needs no introduction. Its coffees, grown at some of the highest elevations in the world, keep winning competitions in Ethiopia, and Alo Coffee is a big reason why. Tamiru Tadesse founded Alo with his wife, Messi, and their very first Cup of Excellence submission in 2021 took first place. They haven’t slowed down since. This lot comes from Safo Station in Alo village, their original station, sitting at a staggering 2450m. Safo means foundation in Sidamic, a fitting name for the place where it all started.

I spent a lot of time with the Alo team on my trip to Ethiopia this past season. I never made it out to the field with them, there simply wasn’t enough time, but I practically lived in their cupping lab, working through table after table of their coffees. I got to know Tamiru well, and he’s the real deal. He cares deeply about quality. He’s not just a businessman in coffee, he’s a coffee guy in business, and you can taste that difference in everything they produce. I also spent countless hours in the lab with Tamirat, who runs it. He roasted the samples, set up the cuppings, and as my main contact for logistics, he handled every detail of my visit. The effort he put into hosting me made the whole trip work, and I’m really grateful for it.

Now let’s talk about the coffee! Zero fermentation is exactly what it sounds like. In a traditional washed process, the coffee ferments in tanks to break down the sticky fruit layer before washing. Here, the cherries are depulped and the parchment is washed clean by machine immediately, so no fermentation happens at all. The idea is total transparency: nothing added, nothing masked, just the terroir of Bensa in the cup. The result is an exceptionally clean, floral and elegant coffee. We hope you love it as much as we do!