Selamawit Bekele

Selamawit took over her family's coffee plots in Yirgacheffe in 2014, inheriting terraces planted by her grandfather at nearly 2,000 metres above sea level. What began as three hectares of heirloom arabica has grown into a full washing-station operation serving 40 neighbouring smallholders.

Every cherry is hand-picked at peak ripeness and sun-dried on raised African beds, a method Selamawit insists gives Yirgacheffe its signature jasmine and bergamot notes. She personally cups every lot before it is graded for export.

In 2024 she completed AgriBridge's full verification process — farm visit, lab testing and cooperative audit — and now exports directly to roasters in Northern Europe who once only knew her coffee through three layers of brokers.