ARBEGONA DUWANCHO | ETHIOPIA | naturally

Duwancho is a private car wash located in the Arbegona Woreda (administrative district) in Ethiopia's Sidama Zone. The car wash is located in the kebele (village) of Chericho. The car wash is one of 26 operated by Testi Coffee, a family business founded by Faysel A. Yonis.

Situated at an altitude of 2,250m above sea level, Duwancho produces exceptional washed, natural and specially prepared lots. The site was established by Testi in 2021 as a 'premium' facility and was chosen for its natural assets - including the high altitude, the characteristics of the surrounding region and access to fresh, clean water. By selecting sites in areas with excellent growing conditions and paying premiums for properly harvested fruit, Testi ensures they only receive extremely high quality cherries, resulting in excellent complexity and differentiation in the cup.

Duwancho currently employs three permanent staff and around 160 seasonal workers, depending on the busyness of the season. During harvest, around 500 independent growers from the nearby kebeles of Duwancho, Chericho and Bare deliver freshly picked coffee cherries daily. At the washing plant, Testi separates and processes the cherries delivered by each kebele as separate batches to ensure additional traceability.

This microlot comes from a group of 10 farms living near the car wash - the relatively small number of contributing farms adds to the special quality of this microlot.
Most of the families contributing to the plant cultivate small plots of land, averaging less than one hectare, organically. Coffee is their main source of income and is grown alongside maize, cereals and bananas in the shade of native birbira, wanza and acacia trees.

The average altitude of farms in this region is very high - around 2,000 to 2,200 m above sea level - and this combined with the region's cool temperatures is ideal for the slow ripening of the coffee cherries, resulting in denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile.

This coffee was produced as part of Testi's quality improvement initiative, the Premium Cherry Selection (PCS). Launched in 2018, the Premium Cherry Selection program ensures that best practices are applied in the cultivation, harvesting and processing of the coffee cherry. Under the program, Testi pays a premium to farmers who pick and deliver only the ripest cherries from their farms.

The coffees produced through the program represent the highest quality and cleanest cup profile available at the wash and in the entire region.

Swerl is a micro-roastery inspired by the art of high-quality coffee and a deep connection with people. The focus is on carefully roasting selected beans to create unique flavors that not only promote enjoyment, but also a sense of community. Every cup of coffee should not just be a drink, but an experience that brings people together and inspires conversation.