Our origins
From Kilenso Mokonisa to the coffee lands of southern Ethiopia
Our family’s roots are in one small village in Guji. Our coffee comes from across the highlands around it: Guji, Uraga, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe.
Coffee Arabica grows wild in Ethiopia’s forests and highlands, where it was first discovered. Our family has farmed it in the south of the country for more than 25 years.
Kilenso Mokonisa, in Bule Hora, is where our story began and where our name comes from. But being from Kilenso doesn’t mean we only offer Kilenso coffee. Through our own farms, our washing stations and sun drying sites, and long relationships with partner farmers, we source from several of southern Ethiopia’s best-known coffee regions.
Each region has its own altitude, soil and character in the cup. We keep lots separate so roasters know exactly where their coffee was grown, and every bag can be traced from the soil to your cup.
At home, coffee is still prepared the way it always has been: roasted, ground and brewed in a clay jebena, then shared over three rounds, abol, tona and baraka. It is the same coffee we send to the world.
Where our coffee comes from
One family, five coffee lands
- Our home
Kilenso Mokonisa
Bule Hora, Guji
One of the smallest villages in Bule Hora, and the roots of our family and our name. Its coffee was once blended and sold as Sidamo, until a processing site opened in 2014 and Kilenso became known on its own.
1,750 to 2,000 m
Guji Highlands
Guji, Oromia
Forested highlands in southern Oromia, known for sweet, fruit-forward naturals and bright, floral washed coffees.
Uraga
Guji, Oromia
One of the highest coffee areas in Guji. Slow ripening at altitude gives a delicate, floral, tea-like cup.
Sidamo
Sidama
A historic region and one of the best-known names in Ethiopian coffee, with balanced, sweet cups and notes of citrus and berry.
Yirgacheffe
Gedeo
Small gardens on steep green hills, famous for clean, floral washed coffees with citrus and jasmine notes.