Shantawene G1 - Natural, Ethiopia

Located within the famous Sidama coffee-producing region of Ethiopia, the Shantawene Station works
directly with 940 smallholder producers to mill coffee for export. Daye Bensa, the exporting organization in
Ethiopia, provides assistance to producers to sell their coffee.
Owner The owner of the mill, Asefa Dukamo, was introduced to coffee at a young age as his parents were
cultivating coffee and other garden crops. In his teens, he began to supply neighboring coffee washing
stations with cherries purchased from nearby relatives and villagers in addition to his own family’s farm. He
realized that there were not many washing stations nearby, and he had to travel great distances to deliver
his coffee. Thus began the idea to construct his own washing station to reduce the travel time for coffee
producers in his region.
In 1997, he constructed a washing station in the Girja village, less than one mile from his parents’ house.
The following year, another washing station was constructed in Eltama, 30 kms from Girja. Dukamo then
moved to the Daye town in the Bensa district, setting up the mother washing station called Qonqana.
Eventually, a dry mill was added to provide facilities for naturally processed coffees. Asefa’s younger
brother, Mulugeta Dukamo, is the co-founder of Daye Bensa Coffee exporters, and played a key role in
the expansion of the washing stations. Today, Daye Bensa operates in six woredas: Bensa, Bura, Chabe,
Hoko (Girja), Aroressa and Chire with 20 washing stations, five mills and three coffee farms.
As well as coffee, producers in the region will plant other crops such as sugarcane, a variety of fruits and
“Inset”; a common indigenous plant that can be prepared as food in different forms. Income from coffee
is important, but minimal for most farmers due to the small size of their farms. As such, inputs are minimal –
most coffee grown in the region is 100% organic, though not certified due to high certification costs, as
farmers simply do not have the money to apply chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
Producers working with the Keramo Station face a number of obstacles when growing coffee. This
includes a lack of access to electricity, water, telecommunication, and road access. In addition,
producers in the region suffer from reduced exposure to knowledge on the best coffee farming practices
which can directly impact yield and quality.