KAWA - Banko Gotiti - Ethiopia - Natural - Heirloom

Banko Gotiti Private Car Wash is located in Yirgacheffe Administrative District, Ethiopia, in Gedeo Zone. Owned by Testi Coffee, a family business founded by Mr. Faysel A. Yonis, the car wash is part of a network of 26 sites managed by the company. Built in 2021 at an altitude of 2,100 meters, the car wash was designed as a “premium” facility due to its ideal natural conditions: high altitude, cool climate, and access to pure and abundant water.

The station employs five permanent employees and between 150 and 200 seasonal workers. During the harvest period, around 500 independent producers from neighbouring villages, such as Banko Gotiti, Chelba, Chelchele and Chelbessai, deliver their coffee cherries daily. Each batch is processed separately to ensure full traceability. The coffee in this batch comes specifically from the Banko Gotiti kebele, from which it takes its name.

The majority of the producer families contributing to this batch farm ethically on small plots of less than one hectare. Coffee, their main source of income, is grown in the shade of indigenous trees such as Birbira, Wanza and Acacia, alongside food crops such as corn and cereals. The farms in the region are located at a high altitude, between 2,000 and 2,200 meters, which, combined with the cool temperatures, allows for a slow maturation of the cherries, resulting in denser beans and a smoother, more complex cup. Thanks to these optimal conditions, the coffee produced is distinguished by its exceptional quality.