From African Farm to Global Forum: The Journey of a Coffee Visionary Honored in London
November 8 - 2025
Coffee Geography Magazine
In a ceremony that spotlighted the pioneers of a greener global economy, a story of humble beginnings and transformative vision took center stage. Esrael Degafa, CEO of Ethiopia’s Kerchanshe Group, was celebrated at the Sustainable Times RISE Awards 2025 in London, where he received the coveted Rising Star Award. This global honor not only recognizes his current leadership but also crowns a remarkable personal journey that began not in a corporate boardroom, but in the rich soils of Ethiopia's coffee-growing highlands.
Degafa’s path is uniquely rooted in the very world he now helps to lead. Unlike many industry titans, he started his career as a coffee farmer himself, gaining an intimate, ground-level understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the Ethiopian coffee sector. This firsthand experience became the bedrock of his life's work. From those early days, he embarked on an entrepreneurial ascent, steadily growing into one of the world's key coffee exporters, traders, and a respected voice for African business.
The RISE Award celebrates the visionary philosophy he built upon this foundation. It specifically honors Kerchanshe Coffee’s profound commitment to empowering a new generation of farmers, ensuring full traceability from the Ethiopian highlands to the global cup, and sharing the excellence of Ethiopian Arabica coffee through a model of equitable and sustainable trade.
This international accolade comes alongside another significant honor—his recognition as Person of the Year 2025 by the African Leadership Awards—creating a dual tribute to a leader whose influence is reshaping the continent's economic landscape.
Degafa’s deep-seated connection to the land informed every step of Kerchanshe's growth. Founded in 2005, the company was born from his direct experience, with the explicit goal of creating a sustainable and transparent coffee value chain that would benefit farmers like himself. His innate understanding of the market, honed from years as a trader, allowed Kerchanshe to quickly gain a foothold, exporting exceptional Ethiopian coffee to key markets across Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
His model consistently proved that commerce and compassion could flourish together. In 2016, remembering the communities he sprang from, Kerchanshe launched impactful CSR programs, formally pledging to reinvest 10% of its profits into community development, focusing on education, clean water, and healthcare.
In 2020, the entrepreneur's forward-looking vision drove a strategic partnership with World Coffee Research, enhancing the company's sustainability efforts and ensuring Ethiopian coffee remains at the forefront of quality and innovation for generations to come.
Upon accepting the award in London, Degafa’s journey served as a powerful symbol of potential fulfilled. His story is a testament to the idea that the most resilient and transformative business models are those built with empathy and firsthand knowledge.
From tending coffee plants to steering a global export powerhouse, Esrael Degafa has never lost sight of his roots. The Rising Star Award is more than a corporate accolade; it is a celebration of a farmer’s son who became a global leader, proving that the most authentic and sustainable growth is that which lifts everyone up along the way.