Kerchanshe Group embraces advanced irrigation and harvesting technology as the leading coffee exporter from Ethiopia
December 13 - 2024
Coffee Geography Magazine
The third and fourth generation coffee farmers from the deep southern coffee regions of Ethiopia have made significant changes to their operations to become key exporters where their coffee are now traced and valued for high demand in major coffee markets in the world.
Kerchansehe group is one of them with a successful story which proudly claim a strong woman with her roots in coffee farming and her grandchildren transformed the business to become the leading coffee company in the country. /p>
Situated in the Bale Mountains where the panorama of thick forest and chain of pyramid mountains and volcanic soil which creates an ideal environment for Arabica coffee production, Mr. Israel Degefa , CEO of Kerchansehe Group transformed the family legacy into Kerchanshe Coffee, now Ethiopia’s largest coffee producer and exporter. Over the past 15 years, Kerchanshe Coffee has grown from humble beginnings into a global leader in the coffee industry, employing over 1,900 permanent staff and 25,000 seasonal workers. The company’s operations directly and indirectly impact the livelihoods of more than 1 million coffee growers across Ethiopia, not only in Guji Zone but also throughout the southern coffee belt of the country sourcing the best coffee beans for large international coffee corporations.
Israel Degefa ,CEO of Kerchansehe Group
Today, Kerchansehe Group embraces advanced irrigation and harvesting technology on its farms to introduce a new way of farming methods for the region and become globally competitive at a time when climate change is expected to hurt millions of farmers all around the world. A team of government officials led by the prime minister has recently visited this technological advancement at Kerchansehe as an exemplary for other coffee exporters to involve and develop their farms for better acceptance in European and North American markets.
The prime minister, Abiy Ahmed said during his visit “Efforts to position Ethiopia as not just the origin of coffee but a major coffee-producing nation continue to gain momentum. Over the past five years, annual coffee production has doubled to 500,000 tons. In the 2023 year, the coffee trade generated over $1.4 billion in revenue. This year, the goal is to increase this figure to $2 billion, with significant progress already being made. Modern coffee irrigation systems and machine-assisted harvesting, achieving yields of up to 60 quintals per hectare, are clear indicators of this success.”
Isreal Degefa with the Prime Minister in the middle
Ethiopia is the world's fourth largest coffee producer in the world with over 500,000 tons annual export capacity. With over 4 million small-scale farmers producing coffee, Ethiopia accounts for around 17% of the global coffee market.