
The Damo Village washing station sits deep in the coffee growing region of Sidama, Ethiopia. It’s a relatively new facility built by Asefa Dukamo Korma. Damo operates in a standard fashion with washed and natural process coffees, but is cleaner and better kept than most sites. Cherries are taken in a shaded hut with woven bamboo walls, producers receiving payment that is 20-30% more than the average amount. Once received, the cherries enter their process and eventually make their way to drying beds and then—once the on-site moisture meter is used to verify the moisture content of the dried parchment and dried cherries—to the carefully-locked, very clean storehouse with its cerulean door. It is small, well managed and conveniently located in a unique microclimate to the area. These factors lend to producing stellar top lot quality coffees from already inherently good coffee varieties in an ideal area.