Duromina Cooperative

In 2010, producers in the Jimma region partnered with the Technoserve Coffee Initiative. Through this program, coffee farmers came together to form several official producer cooperatives. The initiative provided the framework and training for these small-scale producrers to increase the quality of their coffees, and also gain much needed access to financing. Duromina means “improve their lives” in the Afan Oromo language and producers aimed to do just that.

The formation of the cooperative and the training they received to produce fully washed coffees marked a turning point for these producers, whose exceptional coffees began to stun international buyers. The Duromina Cooperative is part of the producer-owned Kata Muduga Union - an umbrella organization which provides marketing and administrative services to the cooperative members.. Stumptown first purchased coffees from these cooperatives in 2011, and we are consistently impressed with the quality and profile of this cup and the achievements of the people.

In addition to agronomy training, processing facilities, and market access, the Duromina cooperative also gives back to the local community. The nearby village where many members live was once inaccessible during the rainy season, so the cooperative worked with the government to cofund a road project and built a bridge for year-round access. They have also worked to provide transportation for children to attend the nearby school.

The Duromina cooperative and its members are located in the highlands of the Jimma Zone of western Ethiopia, near the city of Agaro, where coffee has grown wild for centuries. The now 400 producers who belong to Duromina cultivate coffee in small plots near their homes and on densely shaded hillsides. They deliver their harvest to one of three centralized processing sites. The coffee cherries are pulped using Penagos eco-pulpers, carefully calibrated to leave a small amount of the mucilage on the bean. The coffee is then left to sit in tanks overnight (8-10 hours) and washed the next morning before moving to drying bed - first covered then to dry in the sun.The level of care in every step of the process makes Duromina’s coffees consistent, cohesive, and delicious – year after year.