Mohammed Aba Nura’s journey into coffee farming began in 1998 when he inherited land from his father, making him the third generation of coffee farmers in his family. His family’s farms, established in 1979, are located in the picturesque Omafuntulay Kebele within the Gomma Woreda. His sprawling 34-hectare coffee estate is divided into two sections: the 21-hectare Chawra and the 13-hectare Dumeno.
Beyond his individual endeavors, Mohammed is an active member of the esteemed Tokuma Coffee Farmers. Remarkably, he entered the coffee exporting business just three years ago.
In addition to his passion for coffee, Mohammed finds joy in family gatherings and treasures spending quality time with his five children. His farm also serves as a tranquil haven for memorable picnics with friends and loved ones, offering a peaceful escape from the demands of coffee cultivation.
Mohammed is part of the Tokuma Farmer Group (FC), a collective of farmers in Western Ethiopia who have organized to market their coffees together and share knowledge. This collaboration allows them to pool resources to achieve better quality and greater global exposure for the individual farmers within the group. Although Tokuma FC was recently formed in 2018, many of its producers were previously involved with various cooperatives within the Kata Muduga Union, which serves as an administrative and marketing liaison between member cooperatives and specialty coffee buyers. Notably, this union has managed cooperatives such as Nano Challa, Duromina, Yukro, and Hunda Oli.
What sets Tokuma FC apart from traditional cooperatives is that its members, like Mensur, have the choice and ability to export their own coffee while still utilizing export services, such as those provided by Addis Exporters.
Processing
The coffee planted on Mohammed’s farm is of the Metu-Bishari 74110 variety, developed by the Jimma Research Centre. This variety was selected from wild plants in the Metu-Bishari forest in the Illubabor zone of Western Ethiopia. Known for its resistance to coffee berry disease and high yield, it is widely propagated across the country.
Immediately after harvesting, overripe, insect-damaged, and other defective cherries are sorted out, retaining only the ripe red cherries. Processing begins in the evening, shortly after the day’s picking. The coffee cherries are manually pulped with water using a hand-cranked depulper. The wet parchment ferments overnight in a plastic-lined tub.
The following morning, the pulped coffee is washed and shaded from direct sunlight starting at 8:30 AM. In the afternoon, around 2 PM, the washed beans are transferred to raised drying beds. The parchment coffees are then dried on these beds for approximately 14 days, aiming for a moisture content of 10.5% to 11%.
