Reshad Ababulgu, Oma Fontule, Natural, Grade 1

Reshad Ababulgu is one of several smallholder farmers near the Biftu Gudina co-op who, after years of selling cherry into the orbit of cooperatives like Duromina, are beginning to step into direct export themselves. With drying materials, outside support, and export licenses now in place, producers like Reshad—and others in his community, including Mustefa Abasadi and Abo Hussein—represent an important shift in Ethiopia’s coffee landscape: highly capable farmers with proven quality track records gaining more control over how their coffee is marketed and sold.

A second-generation coffee farmer, Reshad works land that has been in his family for roughly 60 years. His father inherited it from Reshad’s grandfather and later passed it on to him. In the early 2010's, Reshad replanted with improved varieties and more modern farming practices. He lives less than a kilometer from the farm with his wife and three children, with coffee having now become the family's sole livelihood.