2008
Tracon Trading PLC establishes Gera Farm.
Present-day Gera is a district in western Ethiopia whose borders roughly match those of an old kingdom of the same name that existed here almost 200 years ago. One of the five ancient Oromo kingdoms of the Gibe area, Gera was renowned for its exquisite honey. The golden liquid is still an important product of the area, but today, so is coffee.
Gera district is a high-altitude location, with some spots well over 2000 meters above sea level. In addition, over half the land is old, untouched forest. The combination makes for a location that is well suited for coffee trees, and in fact, there are many that grow naturally here. The Gera coffee farm sits on 1000 hectares of this beautiful area with most of the land between 1780 to 2100 meters above sea level.
Tracon, a large family-owned export business, established the Gera farm in 2008 with work starting on 100 hectares of land. More coffee is planted every year and, as of 2019, about 500 hectares of the plantation is home to young and fruitful coffee trees. To ensure they were growing the best coffee possible, Tracon’s agronomists worked with the research institute in Jimma to select local varietals best suited for the location.
As coffee trees take a few years to become productive, the plantation only harvests coffee from 228 hectares of land (as of 2019). However, over the past couple of years, Tracon harvested close to 500,000 kg of red cherries annually, so this is still a significant amount. Of this, the majority is washed, while 20 percent is natural sundried.
Aklilu Taye, who overseas Tracon’s various coffee interests, describes the Gera plantation’s coffee as “promising” because the majority of the farm’s coffee produce meets grade one standards, and its fruity flavors are gaining recognition with customers worldwide.
Over the next ten years, Tracon hopes to plant coffee in the remaining 500 hectares of undeveloped land on the farm. However, the farm’s current focus is on improving productivity in areas that already have coffee trees.
A lot of the work revolves around proper care of the trees to improve yield and is followed by industry-standard processes after harvest. However, another important aspect is the productivity of the farm’s many employees, and Tracon is making it a point to create good working and living conditions for its employees.
Lastly, Gera’s forests are protected, and the farm works hard on maintaining the natural forest that is within its borders. While modern coffee farming does affect the area in a way, Tracon’s goal is to minimize these effects and work in harmony with the existing wildlife in the area by leaving deep forest habitats untouched. After all, the forests are an important factor in giving much of Ethiopia’s coffee its unique flavors.
Certification is another item on the farm’s agenda. The Gera farm’s coffee is organic, but not yet certified. Work is underway to obtain UTZ certification, and after that, Tracon hopes to obtain Rainforest Alliance certification. While the certification process is long, Aklilu believes it is an excellent way to identify any shortcomings in the farm and address them. He is hopeful that UTZ certification is just a year or two away.
Lastly, Gera’s forests are protected, and the farm works hard on maintaining the natural forest that is within its borders. While modern coffee farming does affect the area in a way, Tracon’s goal is to minimize these effects and work in harmony with the existing wildlife in the area by leaving deep forest habitats untouched. After all, the forests are an important factor in giving much of Ethiopia’s coffee its unique flavors.
1780 - 2100 masl.
Aklilu Taye