2007
Cherry Picking Protocols: Through workshops with exporters and smallholders, new protocols encourage improved cherry selection resulting in higher quality and premium payments.
Operation Cherry Red (OCR) takes its name from a simple idea: the ripest, perfectly red cherries produce the greatest coffees. Today, that might sound obvious. But when OCR began in Ethiopia in 2007, much of the coffee sector was driven by a different priority: quantity over quality. With the introduction of the OCR Cherry Picking Protocols, Trabocca set out on a country-wide mission to change that. Through hands-on training and knowledge sharing, farmers were encouraged to invest in selective picking and quality and in return were rewarded through premium payments.
Over the years, Operation Cherry Red has evolved far beyond cherry picking. New initiatives have tackled processing, soil health, market access, direct smallholder relationships, and investment in infrastructure. Yet the ambition behind OCR has remained the same: Share knowledge. Improve processes. Create more value at origin.
For roasters, supporting OCR means becoming part of that journey, gaining access to unique coffees shaped by long-term relationships and enduring impact at origin.
Operation Cherry Red is shaped by nearly two decades of learning, experimenting, and working alongside Ethiopia’s coffee producers.
Behind every initiative are stories that go deeper. From the people and places behind the coffees to the challenges, ideas, and learnings that continue to shape our approach to quality and value at origin.
Explore the stories behind Operation Cherry Red and discover how the project continues to evolve.
