Diima

The importer uses the Oromiffa word "Diima", meaning red, to describe this flavour profile: intense, fruit-forward, with violet florals and tropical fruit. It's a useful marker for what to expect from a natural at this altitude. The station sits in Bombe, Bensa District, at 2,100–2,300 masl, collecting cherries from 556 smallholder farmers across the area.

20 days on bamboo beds

Cherries are handpicked at peak ripeness between October and December, floated to remove less dense fruit, then placed on raised beds of wooden posts and bamboo mesh. They're stirred every 20–30 minutes for even drying, shaded at midday, and covered overnight, a careful, labour-intensive process that takes around 20 days before the beans are moved to cool, ventilated storage ahead of milling.

Tariku Kare

The exporter behind this lot has a good origin story. Tariku Kare Banata grew up in Bombe and started working at a washing station at 15. By 33 he owned his own. He began exporting directly in 2020 and has since built a business reaching South Korea, the US, Belgium, and beyond. The operation employs 20 permanent staff and 650 seasonal workers, and Tariku runs training programmes to help farmers produce to specialty standard, a grower-first model that's recognised by the Africa Fine Coffee Association.