1969
The young Ato Mijane Worassa arrives in Gedeb, Yirgacheffe.
Worka Sakaro is a small locality in the Gedeb district close to Yirgacheffe, southern Ethiopia. Just a few kilometers to the east of Gedeb town, Worka Sakaro is a high-altitude location, and much of the surrounding area lies at an altitude of about 2000 to 2200 meters above sea level.
Today, most of the lush green hills in the area are home to many coffee trees, hiding under the protective canopy of large shade trees. But it was not always so. When Ato Mijane Worassa first came to Gedeb as a young man with his father over 50 years ago, most of the area was thick untouched forest.
Over the years, coffee farming took hold in the region and Gedeb coffee has now made a name for itself around the world, gaining the recognition it deserves. Featuring fruity and floral notes, coffee from this region has similar flavors to the varietals from the Yirgacheffe region further north.
Ato Mijane – in his journey from corn farmer to coffee trader to coffee exporter – is very much a part of the story of how Gedeb coffee, and especially Worka Sakaro’s varieties, have made their way to the world.
Ato Mijane Worassa established his washing station here in the mid-90s. It was a long and arduous journey, involving 17 years of growing corn and saving before he could fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a coffee exporter.
His washing station at Worka Sakaro is his first (he has several more now in the area) and was established on land inherited from his father. The station is well equipped with a local pulping machine, two large warehouses, 360 African drying beds and mesh nets (essential to ensure that beans are air-dried evenly with no mold taking hold).
“During harvest season, you’ll find my father working hand in hand with the workers”, says Daniel, Ato Mijane’s eldest son, and manager of his mills. He goes on to explain how Ato Mijane painstakingly ensures the quality of his coffee – personally overseeing every single step from the moment the coffee is accepted from farmers to the moment it is shipped out in sacks.
The Worka washing station works with over 400 smallholders in the area, most of whom grow their coffee on the slopes of a mountain called Rudu, which is easily visible from the mill.
Like other Gedeo farmers in the Gedeo zone, many of these farmers identify as Protestant Christians and are a close-knit society that often come to the aid of community members in need. In fact, the community once helped Ato Mijane get back on his feet when he suffered a difficult business loss in his earlier years.
“We face several challenges, including limited information regarding potential customers, meaning we invest in coffee with no guarantee of sales”, says Daniel. Prior to 2018, Worka Sakaro coffee from the Mijanes’ washing station was exported via other exporters. However, in their first year with an export license, the Mijanes found buyers for 75% of their Gedeb coffee and are grateful that they had a good year.
Daniel Mijane officially joined his father as his manager a few years back and brought his youth and passion to the business. College-educated and forward-looking, Daniel looks for ways to help the mills improve quality and to find better markets for their coffee.
“We are working on establishing new washing stations, but our main goal is to get Gedeb coffee out to the world in clusters, based on the kebele it is grown in”, says Daniel, talking about his plans to improve traceability of lots from Gedeb district. He is grateful for customer feedback as it tells him what buyers want and then he can find ways of improving processes to meet customer needs.
With Daniel’s passion and Ato Mijane’s attention to detail, the future looks bright for the Mijanes and their coffee.
2000 - 2200 masl.
Mijane Worassa