Location: Ethiopia, Hambella
Varietal: Kurume & Dega 
Process: Natural 
Cup Notes: Hibiscus, fruit punch, chocolate grapes

This is our first year featuring Tagel Alemayehu and he brings us a delightful natural processed offering. With a medium body, the cup bursts with juicy notes that remind us of fruit punch, blossoms with florals like hibiscus, and ends with notes like chocolate covered white grapes.

Born in Bule Hora, Tagel Alemayehu grew up in coffee: his father was a local trader who built the region’s first washing station and installed Ethiopia’s first Pinhalense dry huller. In 2004, Tagel began managing one of the earliest specialty natural stations in Guji, gaining firsthand experience in processing high-quality coffee. When export regulations shifted in 2018, he founded Olkai Coffee—a family-run company where his wife now serves as export manager.

Olkai operates a network of washing stations across Guji, Bule Hora, and Sidama—some of the most celebrated regions for Ethiopian coffee. Tagel’s long-standing ties to these communities run deep. Over two decades of cherry collection have earned him the kind of trust that led local landowners to offer plots for his stations.