Walensuu

The farm is located in the Oromo region, 80 kilometres north of Jimma in the heart of the Oromo appellation. It covers 150 hectares. Its two owners are brothers who chose this site, located just 2 kilometres from the family plantation of Wolensu, themselves. They invested heavily in the project in 2008 by developing the land to obtain an export permit, allowing them to position themselves on the international market and in the United States in particular. Mesfin and Yidnekachew Dabessa met Jacques one year ago at our Addis Ababa office. Jacques quickly realised that their forest coffee was of a particularly high quality, and Belco is now the exclusive distributor of part of their harvest in Europe.
The Walensuu farm has a nursery with more than 80,000 plants. It is situated deep in a dense forest home to a great diversity of species. Some, like the Qararo, which is a slow-growing tree that it is forbidden to cut down, are becoming increasingly rare in Ethiopia. Generally speaking, coffee production helps to preserve the forest, unlike some other agricultural crops. Mesfin and Yidnekachew Dabessa have also chosen to preserve two hectares of woodland as a protected area, free of any form of production.
Our Belco teams are keen to help them achieve their objective, which is to produce a forest coffee that also serves to protect their exceptional environment.
Mesfin and Yidnekachew have created a family structure that is currently managed by Mesfin. His brother is still present, as he lives near the farm in Limmu and can help whenever necessary. Mesfin dedicates his time to ensuring the Walensuu farm is running smoothly. He also oversees coffee processing and exports from Addis Ababa.