Alo 74158 Sky Project Natural

Description

Origin: Ethiopia - Sidama - Bensa  Farm: Alo Village - Main station    Producer: Tamiru Tadesse  Altitude: 2450 - 2500 m Variety: 74158 Process: Whole shade dry natural Alo Coffee was founded in Bensa, Sidama, by Tamiru Tadesse and his wife Messi. Driven by a belief that great coffee should never be overlooked, they set out to challenge a system that undervalued both quality and the farmers behind it. In 2021, their very first lot from the village of Alo won Ethiopia’s Cup of Excellence. A historic victory that proved what passion and precision could achieve, and opened new possibilities for an entire community of growers. Today, Alo Coffee carries that same energy forward. With farmers at the center, a focus on meticulous processing, and a deep respect for Sidama’s terroirs, Alo Coffee is not only showcasing some of Ethiopia’s most exciting coffees, it is reshaping what Ethiopian coffee can mean to the world. Through precise and innovative processing, they continue to push boundaries and reveal the extraordinary potential of Ethiopian coffee. Sky Project The Sky Project is a long-term collaboration between Tri-Up Coffee and Alo Coffee, born from a shared ambition to anticipate the effects of climate change on coffee production. The project explores coffee cultivation at increasingly higher elevations, where cooler temperatures and greater day-to-night temperature differences allow the cherries to mature more slowly and retain more of their sugars. This extended maturation contributes to coffees with greater sweetness, complexity, and vibrant fruit expression. Process Ripe cherries are carefully handpicked and floated to remove lower-density cherries, ensuring a clean and uniform selection before fermentation. The selected cherries are then placed into barrels with hot water, creating a warm and controlled environment for fermentation. The cherries ferment for four days, with the process monitored until reaching a final pH of 3.8.  Following fermentation, the cherries are kept whole and dried entirely in the shade, allowing for a slow and gentle drying process that helps preserve the coffee’s delicate aromatic profile. To safeguard the fruit’s integrity, the beds are covered during peak sunlight hours (12–3 PM) to prevent overheating. Once the cherries reach the ideal moisture level of 11-11.5%, they are sealed in GrainPro bags to preserve and enhance aromatic development, then stored in traditional jute bags. The dried cherries are rested for a minimum of 45 days before dry milling to allow the flavor profile to fully rest.