ODACO, Sidama Natural

This is our second year buying coffees from Daye Bensa through Coffee Legends. Last year's massively popular lot from Gatta has been renamed "Odaco" this year, after a significant tree in Shantawene. The name reflects the powerful culture of the Sidama people and the Odaco tree serves as a gathering place where the Shantawene community resolves conflicts. Similar traditions exist in other parts of Ethiopia, such as in the Oromo region, where it is locally known as "oda".

This lot is comprised of cherries sourced from 563 Daye Bensa member farmers in the area, along with coffee grown at the Gatta farm itself.

Founded in 1996 by coffee-producing brothers Asefa Dukamo Korma and Mulugeta Dukamo, Daye Bensa began exporting their high-quality coffees in 2006. They have since placed highly in several Cup of Excellence competitions. Today, Asefa serves as CEO while Mulugeta oversees the expansion and construction of washing stations.

Daye Bensa's Gatta Farm sits at the heart of Shantawene village in Sidama, near the famous Bombe village. This area was natural forest until Mulugeta discovered it while managing the construction of Gafisse Station.

Named after a waterfall that flows through the property, the farm is surrounded by rivers, lush vegetation, and indigenous trees over 100 years old. These trees provide shade for the thirty-two hectares of coffee planted there since 2013. In 2017, they established a drying station that processes coffee from approximately 940 neighboring farmers in addition to cherries grown on the farm. Local residents benefit from fair-wage employment opportunities, with many women working in quality control and processing at the station.

Daye Bensa's Gatta Farm is more than just a farm, it includes a drying station, lodge, and training facility. During harvest season, the drying station becomes operational while also providing accommodations for employees and trainees. The training facility specialises in coffee processing education for interested individuals.

74158 was one of the outcomes of the Metu-Bishari Selection program conducted by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC) in the mid-1970s. The program targeted forests around the Bishari village in the Metu woreda to select CBD-resistant mother trees.

The offspring of these selected mother trees have been widely propagated due to their high yield potential and excellent resistance to CBD.

The dry/natural process is the oldest and simplest method of preparing green coffee. Well-suited to environments with limited water access and hot climates, this process typically uses no water and requires no specialized equipment.

After harvesting, coffee cherries are dried until they reach about 20% moisture content. They're then usually rested for a few weeks in bags before being sent to a mill for hulling and export preparation.

The cherries can be dried on large patios or raised African beds—large trays with a mesh base that allow increased airflow for even drying. Best practices include keeping the drying coffee in shade during the hottest parts of the day and avoiding re-wetting by rain or condensation. Regular turning and good ventilation are also crucial to prevent mould formation.

To avoid defective seeds and sour fermentation off-flavours, it's best to sort the harvested cherries during the initial drying stage when under-ripe, over-ripe, and damaged cherries are easily spotted. After just a couple of days, the cherries turn a dark red-brown colour before becoming black, making it impossible to visually identify problem cherries.

Coffee begins fermenting from the moment it's picked and continues while there's enough moisture and high temperatures—conditions that favour microbial growth. This uncontrolled fermentation leads to the development of wild, fruity flavours and an increased perception of sweetness and body.