In the Cup
This wash lot from Rumudamo is a great example of what we love in a washed Ethiopian. When enjoying it black, it’s delicate and tea-like with lots of sweetness and a bright acidity. We’re really enjoying flavours that remind us of peach, lingonberry (or at least the Ikea cordial version!) soft florals like orange blossom and chamomile and a sweet, creamy note like dulce de leche.
The Story
Daye Bensa Coffee was founded in 1996 by brothers Asefa and Mulugeta Dukamo in the Bensa region of Sidama. They started with a single farm and washing station, initially selling coffee only within Ethiopia’s strong domestic market, where around half of the crop never leaves the country. In 2006, they began exporting internationally, and since then Daye Bensa has grown into one of Ethiopia’s top five exporters by volume—widely respected for quality—while remaining family-owned and based in-country.
Asefa’s brother-in-law, Atrie, who had managed at Daye Bensa and later worked in UK finance, opened a UK office (Coffee Legends) to represent the company. His focus is on promoting Arbegona, a newer coffee-growing area within Sidama.
Arbegona illustrates how climate change is reshaping coffee’s future. Arabica plants thrive in cooler conditions, but rising global temperatures are putting pressure on lower-altitude farms, leading to reduced yields, greater vulnerability to pests and disease, and lower cup quality. In contrast, Arbegona’s higher elevations—once considered too cold for coffee—are now proving ideal. Farmers there are successfully producing some of the highest-grown coffees in the world.
This shift highlights both the challenges facing traditional coffee regions and the potential of new, high-altitude areas to sustain specialty coffee.
