The Jabanto group began its operations in 2018 with 29 smallholder coffee farmers from the Yirgacheffe and Kochere Woredas (counties) of the Gedeo Zone. Since then, the group has expanded significantly, growing to 87 members by the 2023/24 harvest season.
With the support of Condesa Co. Lab and G-Broad, we have seized the opportunity to offer high-quality community lots sourced from Jabanto members. Specifically, this Jabanto lot comes from the Kochere Woreda, particularly from producers in Biloya Kebele. Many farmers in this group are recognized as model coffee farmers, demonstrating expertise in post-harvest processing techniques that yield high-quality coffee, despite being classified as Grade 2.
Until mid-2017, the Ethiopian coffee industry was hampered by a lengthy value chain and complex marketing policies, which prevented smallholder farmers from engaging directly with international markets. The establishment of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) in 2008 provided daily market information but did little to connect smallholder farmers to global markets. However, in 2017, policies began encouraging direct trade, allowing farmers to export micro-lots directly.
Despite these policy improvements, smallholder coffee farmers face significant challenges due to the high costs and logistical difficulties of exporting, particularly in Gedeo, where average farm production is about 1.8 metric tons of clean green coffee. Smallholder exporters struggle with quality control, marketing, and infrastructure issues. To address these challenges, G-Broad Trading PLC has organized farmers in Gedeo into small farmer business groups.
G-Broad has established two such groups, Jabanto and Edido-Aricha, focusing on the Gedeo Zone. These groups produce both natural and washed coffees and have been supplying various coffee lots—ranging from village (Kebele) level to single farmer and single variety— to international markets since 2018. They are responsible for ensuring high-quality coffee production and collaborating with G-Broad for quality control, marketing, warehousing, export milling, logistics, and documentation.
