Musa Abalulesa, Oma Fontule, Washed, Grade 1, ORG

Musa Abalulesa and his brothers, Mustefa and Gugu, each farm small holdings in Gomma, Agaro. Musa and Mustefa jointly manage two farms outside Beshasha—Koye and Chanko—on land at 2,100 meters that was once dense jungle. Before it was cleared for coffee, that parcel served as a hideout for their father, Abalulesa, a guerrilla resisting the Derg military regime. After repeated failed attempts to capture him—and mounting losses—the government placed a bounty on his head. As his health declined, Abalulesa entrusted an old friend with a final request: claim the reward by telling authorities he had killed him, in gratitude for caring for him in his last months. Abalulesa died in 1977, when Musa was two. Under a later amnesty and reconciliation program, the government granted land to the family—property his sons now farm.

In 2006, Musa won a national competition organized by the Ethiopian government among 500 selected participants. The prize sent him to AFCA in Uganda and included both cash and a hand pulper. He reinvested the money to expand his farm to 43.8 hectares. Two years later, however, the launch of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange ended direct export, forcing him to sell locally in Agaro at commercial prices.

That shifted in 2016, when export liberalization allowed certain farmers to secure their own licenses. Crop to Cup became Musa’s first direct-sale customer that year. His success has encouraged others in the region—including Gugu—to pursue direct export in search of stronger prices. Premiums earned since have funded farm renovations, new seedlings from his nursery, additional drying beds, shade cloth, and a larger warehouse.

Musa farms organically, grows avocados, and keeps honey bees to diversify income. Together, Musa and Mustefa also operate a seed production business, supplying seeds to local government seed banks.