Description
About the Coffee Producer:
We met the team behind Bette Buna two years ago and were deeply impressed by their work in Ethiopia. What stood out most was their genuine commitment to the local community in one of the world’s least developed coffee-producing regions.
Founded by Hester from the Netherlands and her husband Dawit from Ethiopia, Bette Buna has been rooted in the village ever since they were entrusted with the farm by Grandfather Syoum and Grandmother Emame.
In Ethiopia, coffee accounts for roughly one-third of the country’s GDP, yet over 90% of coffee producers do not earn a livable income. Bette Buna is working to change this. They support farmers through education on soil health, the restoration of agroforestry systems, and the importance of harvesting fully ripe cherries. Ripe cherries not only produce better coffee but also weigh more, allowing farmers to earn higher income through both volume and quality premiums.
Each year, they also distribute climate-resilient seedlings to local farmers. Once mature, each seedling can generate a minimum of $2 per year, contributing to a significant economic impact. Altogether, this creates over $650,000 annually in a region where the average household income is less than $50 per month for a family of nine.
In terms of quality and transparency, Bette Buna tracks every coffee lot and maps every individual involved at each stage of production—from picking to processing to milling. This level of traceability is exceptionally rare in Ethiopia.
At Ukkei, we believe Bette Buna represents a much-needed shift in the coffee industry. Their community-led and responsible approach challenges the deeply imbalanced systems that have long defined coffee production. We are proud to present this coffee to you: Homecoming.
About the Coffee Processing:
Since establishing in Sidama five years ago, Bette Buna has expanded to Guji Megadu, working with local leaders to replicate their community-driven model.
Megadu, in Shakisso Woreda, is one of Guji’s most remote and mountainous regions. With dense forests and rich soil, it holds exceptional potential for coffee production. However, this year brought challenges: a shortage of farm labour meant many ripe cherries were left unpicked, reducing overall harvest.
To enhance quality, Bette Buna developed a “kickstart” process. After delivery to the wet mill, cherries are briefly placed in an anaerobic environment—long enough to alter sugar structures, but not to begin full fermentation. This results in coffees with greater sweetness and body, layered onto the classic Sidama natural profile.
The cherries are then dried on raised African beds. Once optimal moisture is reached, they are rested for at least eight weeks to develop complexity. After local dry milling and hand sorting, the coffee travels 3–5 days to Bette Buna’s mill in Gelan near Addis Ababa, where it undergoes final cleaning, grading, and colour sorting before export.
Green Coffee Importer: Falcon