Duwancho

The Story

Due to it’s intense fruitiness, this lot was named Duwancho, after a local fruit that is found in the Keramo area. This particular lot is a small selection from the Keramo washing station which is part of Daye Bensa’s micro-lot program that separates out different lots of cherries to optimise quality. Daye Bensa is a farming, processing and exporting company that was founded in 1996 by farming brothers Assefa and Mulugeta Dukamo after deciding to branch out from their family farm near Shantawene village. Daye Bensa now owns 4 farms and 15 washing stations which provide income and farming support for local out-growers and this lot is made up from 279 small-holders near Keramo village.

Social and Environmental

Since setting up the Keramo washing station, Daye Bensa has been able to provide a route to market for the hundreds of small-holders in the local area. Many of these farmers grow a combination of crops to feed their families and cash crops like coffee. Support for the local farmers is also provided in the form of training to help them increase their yields, mitigate pests and improve quality which returns higher prices. As coffee is harvested just once a year in Ethiopia this usually means that farmers will receive their pay just once a year, so to help with this, Daye Bensa makes a second payment later in the year. Recently, Daye Bensa completed a huge community project where they built 5 schools in the local area. This will empower people in these coffee producing areas as the Bensa area is particularly rural and is at least a 3 hour drive to the nearest city, Hawassa. Since 2020, Daye Bensa is certified Organic, UTZ and Rainforest Alliance.