Flavor Profile:
Medium Body, low acidity, buttery mouth feel, with overtones of blueberry and dark cherry.
Named after a strategic town in the coffee producing region of Oromia, Ethiopia, our GOJO Blend is a peerless melange of Certified Organic Fair Trade Sidama and Yirgacheffe beans.
Directly-Traded and roasted by an Austin-based woman-owned business, our coffee is a story of lifting lives, and fostering hope.
HOW IS FAIR TRADE HELPING?
The Fair Trade premiums continue to help improve local infrastructure in the coops of the Oromia region of Ethiopia by funding the construction of primary schools, health clinics, and bridges. Projects aimed at providing a clean water supply and stable electricity are also underway. They now have a cupping lab and two warehouses at their office site and are building their own processing center. They recently opened a cooperative bank which offers service to all members. OROMIA also provides its farmers with insurance options to cover coffee against loss. "Fair Trade has done a lot," general manager Tadesse Meskela says. "But it still needs a lot more promotion.
ABOUT THE FARMERS
Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and yet the fourth poorest country in the world. Coffee farmers live a very traditional lifestyle, farming fewer than 5 acres and living in stick houses. Electricity, running water and indoor plumbing are rare in rural areas.
The Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU) is an exporting cooperative with offices in Addis Ababa and affiliated farmer cooperatives located throughout the coffee growing regions of Ethiopia. Oromia was established in 1999 to facilitate the direct exportation of coffee produced by Ethiopia's small farmers and assist in marketing, processing, and credit issues.
Oromia is a well organized umbrella organization responsible for processing, marketing, and commercializing coffee for its members. The union comprises 146 cooperatives, with a membership of approximately 130,000 as of 2008. OCFCU works exclusively in Oromia Regional State, which accounts for 65 percent of the country’s total coffee growing land and includes coffees from Limu, Yirgacheffe, Nekemte, Jimma, Sidamo, Neqemte/ Ghimbi, and Harrar. Of the 146 co-ops, 28 are Fair Trade certified by FLO (2008).
Establishing a direct relationship with the farmers is the key to success. "Fair Trade has done a lot," general manager Tadesse Meskela says. "But it still needs a lot more promotion."
