Brought to Equator Coffee Roasters from Mokonissa is our new single origin coffee: Ethiopian Sidama Natural. It will be available for purchase in-stores and online from June 6th until about the 4th of July.
Producer Profile: History Of Mokonissa
Like the Ethiopian Sidama Telamo single origin we had available back in January, this Ethiopian Sidama comes from one of 53 member cooperatives belonging to the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (SCFCU). The SCFCU is one of the biggest and most well-known exporting organizations in Ethiopia (1). Coffees from the Sidama Zone are often the first high-quality arrivals of the year from anywhere in the country as Sidama’s harvest season happens a bit earlier than in the more southern zones, Guji and Gedeo.
While the SCFCU aims to elevate the quality of life for coffee producers and their families via large-scale social program investments, such as with educational opportunities, environmental training programs, healthcare initiatives, and life insurance, the Mokonissa cooperative that our Ethiopian Sidama comes from does so on a smaller-scale. They train small producers in the most optimal organic practices and invest in their basic infrastructure like local warehouses and road improvements. Although these efforts are not always noticed, they are nonetheless incredibly vital to the livelihoods of these producers.
Founded in 1976, Mokonissa initially functioned as an independent cooperative as most other processing groups and cooperatives at the time did due to an insufficient export network. They kept their sights exclusively local until about the late 90s. With the formation of Ethiopia’s cooperative unions and their far-reaching exports, the result was an increase in farm returns and voting power for smallholders. Plus it was easier to obtain certifications that protected costs and helped with marketing to allow smallholders to find their place in the global coffee marketplace. As of today, Mokonissa has about 1492 active farmer members and processes coffee in Bensaware and Sadeware, which are district communities in Bensa. Each farmer has less than a hectare allocated for coffee cultivation and crops for home use or local sale.
Tasting Notes & Flavors
The Ethiopian Sidama is a natural process, specialty-grade light roast coffee (our roast level 3) that was grown at an altitude of 1700 to 2000 m and features a cupping score of 85.5. It yields a balanced brew with a medium, berry-like acidity that intermingles well with its velvety and syrupy body, leaving you with a sweet aftertaste as delicious as its bright tasting notes of blueberry, milk chocolate, and red berries.
The truest of coffee connoisseurs amongst you may pick out additional hints of fragrances and flavors as diverse as apricot, brown sugar, blackcurrant, black tea, caramel, carob, chamomile, grassy, lemon, orange blossom, raisin, rose, and strawberry. But you may have to drink a lot more coffee to get to that level :)
So don’t delay and try some Ethiopian Sidama Natural coffee today!
Mokonissa has been partners with Coop Coffees since 2023.
References:
- Coop Coffees. (n.d.). Producer Profile – Mokonisa. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://www.coopcoffeesbeans.com/producer_profile.php?id=NjQy
