1930s
Gesha coffee variety discovered during British colonial expeditions.
Near the border of South Sudan, you find the wild, dense, and stunning forests of the Bench Maji Zone. Home to the radiant Gesha coffees. A coffee that astonishes coffee drinkers around the globe with sparkling clean acidity-rich profiles. The story of Gesha Village begins here.
Rachel Samuel and Adam Overton developed a passion for coffee while producing a documentary about Ethiopian coffee in 2007. They fell in love with Ethiopia, its people, and the coffee. Their path led them to Willem Boot, a coffee educator, and an authority in the field of Gesha coffees.
After intense training from Willem, Rachel and Adam returned to Bench Maji to search for the perfect spot for a coffee farm. After months of searching, they found a beautiful untouched piece of lush land; the future Gesha Village. Just a stone’s throw away from the birth grounds of the famous Panamanian Geisha. In 2011, Rachel and Adam finally revived the legend of the Ethiopian Gesha coffee.
Gesha Village is a 471-hectare farm with high elevation, ample rainfall, temperate climates, and fruitful ground. Rachel and Adam started to select wild Gesha seeds from the neighboring Gori Gesha forest and planted these among the indigenous trees.
They paired 2000 coffee trees per hectare with 30.000 native shade trees. Their agroforestry farming approach creates a balance between the original environment and the commercial management of the farm. The farm aims to protect and honor the natural environment all the while growing and delivering fantastic Gesha coffees.
They divided Gesha into eight sub-farms; Bangi, Narsha Gaylee, Dimma, Shaya, Oma, Surma, and Shewa-Jibabu. Gesha workers label each batch of cherries to offer buyers full traceability. In these blocks, they planted three varieties; the Gesha 1931, Gori Gesha, and Illubabor.
In 2016, Rachel and Adam started the Pride of Gesha auctions. Once a year, coffee roasters around the globe flock to bid on the best that the farm offers.
Pride of Gesha offers 88-scoring, and above, coffees with floral, winey, and sweet cup profiles that set the Gesha coffee apart from other coffees.
Gesha Village offers you two ways to buy Gesha coffees. One option is to buy the Gesha’s via the Pride of Gesha auction. The other option is to buy from a coffee importer, such as Trabocca. We have the privilege to select and import Gesha coffees before the auction. Please log in to MyTrabocca to see our Gesha offerings.
1900 - 2100 masl.