Ethiopia Guju GUJI LAYO TARAGE Profi le Country Ethiopia Region Oromia Zone Guji Woreda Gera Farm Gera Altitude 1950 -2000 masl Variety Red Bourbon Harvest January - February Process Washed Ethiopia Guji Layo The Layo Taraga Cooperative is located in Uraga district, as a Woreda, or administrative divisions, of Oromia. It is part of the infamous Guji zone, bordered Tarage on the south by Odo Shakiso, on the west by the Borena Zone, on the north by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, and on the east by Bore. The Oromia Regional State has more than 65% of the country’s total coffee growing land. Coffee is shade grown on one hectare plots of land by approx. 500 members. During the harvest members deliver their coffee cherry to the washing station where it is sorted before being depulped. It is then fermented for 8 – 12 hours underwater, where any remaining mucilage is broken down. Afterwards coffee is washed in channels, soaked, and dried on raised beds for 10 – 14 days until it reaches an 11% moisture content. Layo Tarage is a member of Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU) which is one of the largest coffee unions in Ethiopia and was established on 1st June 1999. OCFU pays 70% of its net profi t back to the cooperatives, who in turn pay 70% of these profi ts to the member farmers. They also provide loans to their members and Layo Teraga has received fi nance for improvements such as tiled fermentation tanks and storage sheds at the washing station. Grades in Ethiopia are grouped in to 4 main categories, G1 and G2 being the top two washed grades, and G3 and G4 being the top two natural processed grades. Sundried coffee.