The Ethiopian coffee journey, from cherry to roastery.

Coffee traceability from farm to roaster, written as eight stages. Each one has a plain sentence and one piece of proof. Every season lot carries the same eight stages as a tracker, marked done, current or upcoming from its own record.

  1. 01Cherry and farm
  2. 02Processing
  3. 03Milling and grading
  4. 04Lab read 1 (origin)
  5. 05Addis Ababa export prep
  6. 06Djibouti FOB
  7. 07Ocean transit
  8. 08Landing lab read 2 and delivery
Stage 1 of 8

Cherry and farm

The record starts at the washing station or woreda: where the cherry grew, when it was picked, at what altitude and from which variety.

Proof · Station name, harvest dates

A farmer holding a bucket of ripe red coffee cherries after picking
Stage 2 of 8

Processing

Washed, natural, honey or anaerobic, with the drying method and the days on the bed written down.

Proof · Process record

Ripe coffee cherries moving along a water channel with foam beside them, wet processing
Stage 3 of 8

Milling and grading

The lot is milled and graded: screen size, defect count and export grade.

Proof · Grade record

Unroasted green coffee beans filling a burlap sack
Stage 4 of 8

Lab read 1 (origin)

A Q score with the scoresheet attached, plus moisture and water activity, read at origin before the lot is offered.

Proof · Scoresheet attached to the offer

A cupper holding a spoon over a cup of coffee at a cupping table
Stage 5 of 8

Addis Ababa export prep

The lot is consolidated and the export documents are assembled: phytosanitary certificate, certificate of origin, ECX grade certificate and bill of lading.

Proof · Document checklist

Export documents and a pen on a wooden table
Stage 6 of 8

Djibouti FOB

About 900 km from Addis Ababa to Djibouti: road takes 2 to 4 days, rail 24 to 36 hours, and the coffee is handed over FOB.

Proof · Route and timing

An Ethiopian Railways train passing through Bishoftu, Ethiopia
Stage 7 of 8

Ocean transit

Sealing runs today: hermetic liners, desiccant sized to the load, moisture checked before the doors close. The voyage sensor record is in build.

Proof · Sealing spec · sensor record in build In build

A cargo ship carrying stacked containers on the sea
Stage 8 of 8

Landing lab read 2 and delivery

Moisture and water activity are read again when the container lands and compared with the approved sample, then the lot goes to your roastery.

Proof · Landing read, comparison with the approved sample

A barista brewing pour-over coffee at a bright wooden cafe bar

What is live and what is in build.

Stages 1 to 6 and the sealing in stage 7 are records we hold or steps that run today. The voyage sensor record and plot-level EUDR geolocation are in build: no reading is shown for either until a lot ships with one. QR codes on bags and documents that open the lot page are coming, and are not live.

Yirgacheffe Gedeb washed G1Yirgacheffe Kochere natural G1Sidama Bensa washed G1Sidama Bensa natural G1Guji Uraga natural G1Guji Shakiso washed G1Limu Gera washed G2
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