Ethiopia Duromina

400 smallholder farmers are represented in this coffee, who brought their harvest to the Duromina Washing Station to be mechanically depulped, soaked overnight, and dried on raised beds. The Agaro region is Red Fox’s oldest and most enduring sourcing relationship in the country, dating back to 2009, when USAID’s Technoserve project established modern washing stations. Red Fox’s founders recognized the distinct potential of these coffees, helping elevate them from undervalued to celebrated. Harvested early in the year due to Western Ethiopia’s unique growing season, coffee remains vibrant for an exceptionally long time, continuing to open up for six months or more. Duromina is located in the Qadamessa community within the Gomma district of Jimma, an area defined by high rainfall, fertile sandy-loam soil, and soaring altitudes of 1850–1980 masl. Farmers here cultivate coffee on tiny plots (often under 2 hectares) using intercropping for shade, especially false banana and maize, and rely primarily on coffee for their livelihood. The community is predominantly Oromo, maintaining longstanding cultural traditions while facing ongoing challenges such as limited electricity, long distances to schools, and constrained access to clean water. Despite these hardships, Qadamessa’s families continue to produce some of Ethiopia’s most distinctive coffees through skill, resilience, and deeply rooted agricultural knowledge.