Few coffee-growing regions have experienced as much change over the past several decades as western Ethiopia. While the forests in the region have produced coffee for generations, the way that coffee reaches the world has shifted dramatically. For many years, most producers were required to sell through Ethiopia's centralized commodity system, making it nearly impossible for exceptional farms to build direct relationships with roasters or be rewarded for the quality of their work. Recent reforms have begun to change that, allowing producers to export their own coffees and tell the stories behind them.
For Musa Abalulesa, that opportunity carries the weight of family history. Musa and his brothers, Mustefa and Gugu, farm in Gomma, just outside the town of Beshasha. One of their farms sits on land that once served as a jungle hideout for their father, Abalulesa, a guerrilla fighter resisting Ethiopia's Derg regime during the 1970s. After his father's death, the family eventually received the land through a national reconciliation program, transforming a place marked by conflict into one dedicated to growing coffee.
Musa's commitment to quality became clear early in his career. In 2006, he won a national coffee competition that earned him training, a hand pulper, and prize money that he immediately reinvested into expanding his farm. Just two years later, changes to Ethiopia's coffee trade forced him back into the commodity market, where exceptional coffees were often sold for little more than commercial prices. It wasn't until export reforms in 2016 that Musa was finally able to sell directly to international buyers. Those premiums have since been invested right back into the farm through improved drying infrastructure, new seedlings, expanded storage, and ongoing improvements that continue to elevate quality.
Today, Musa farms organically, keeps honey bees, grows avocados, and, together with Mustefa, operates a seed production business supplying local government nurseries. Their work reflects a broader shift happening across Ethiopia, where direct trade has given producers greater control over their futures while creating stronger connections between the people growing coffee and those enjoying it.
We selected this coffee because it captures everything we love about Limu: vibrant florals, remarkable sweetness, and clarity in the cup, backed by a producer whose perseverance and long-term investment continue to raise the standard for Ethiopian coffee.
