Sidama (incl. Aleta Wendo, Bensa, Chire)

Farming

Dense smallholder mosaic; mixed shade and food intercropping.

Ripeness variability is high (many pickers, many micro-parcels).

Processing

Washed and natural both common.

Quality hinges on: cherry sorting, fermentation discipline, and (most of all) drying capacity vs peak-day intake.

Supply chain + dynamics

The “traceable unit” is usually a washing station; “Bensa” often means an aggregation around multiple kebeles feeding stations.

Cash competition for cherry is intense: stations with faster cash capture better cherry.

Lots are commonly built by day(s) of intake rather than a single farm.