Story
Founded in Addis Ababa in 2008 by Negusse Debela, a deeply
passionate coffee entrepreneur, SNAP Specialty Coffee was built
on a simple but ambitious conviction: that exceptional coffee,
processed with consistency and care, deserves a place in the world’s
finest cups. The company operates three washing and processing
stations in Chelelektu, within the Kochere District of the Gedeo
Zone, alongside partner stations in Uraga, Guji, and Nensebo in
West Arsi, exporting specialty Grade 1 Arabica beans, both washed
and natural, to customers across the globe. Over the years, SNAP
has grown its infrastructure to match its ambitions, investing in a
dedicated warehousing and processing facility in Addis Ababa as
well as a cupping laboratory at its headquarters. But beyond logistics
and quality control, the company’s mission runs deeper. Its supply
philosophy rests on three guiding pillars: processing specialty coffee
with unwavering consistency, sharing knowledge and training
with smallholder farmers to elevate their craft, and protecting the
environment through responsible waste recycling systems.
Region
Nestled in the heart of Nensebo Woreda, in the Oromia region some
400 kilometres south of Addis Ababa, Refisa washing station is owned
and operated by Negusse Debela, and embodies everything Sidamo
does best: clean, sweet, and floral coffees that live up to the region’s
reputation. Bordering the Bale Mountains to the south, Nensebo is
still an emerging coffee territory, yet its 5,000 hectares of cultivated
land, tended by a close-knit community of smallholder farmers,
already tell a quietly compelling story. The producers deliver their
red cherries to the station, hand-picked across the villages of Refisa,
Roricho, Bulga, Riripa, and Solena. Each farmer works an average of
two hectares, nurturing a rich mosaic of heirloom varieties, among
them wild cultivars that trace their lineage directly to the surrounding
forests.
Process
Smallholder farmers in the area cultivate an average of 2 hectares each, tending their plots with the close attention that only comes from working land on a human scale. At harvest, they hand-pick only the ripest cherry and carry it to Refisa washing station, where the journey from fruit to parchment begins. Each delivery is carefully inspected, with workers sorting cherry by eye to ensure only the best makes it through. The selected fruit then moves through a disc pulper, which strips away the skin before the coffee is left to ferment. Once fermentation is complete, the coffee is washed in clean water to remove any remaining mucilage, then laid out on raised drying beds. Workers rake the parchment regularly, turning it to catch the air evenly on all sides. Over the course of 8 to 10 days, the coffee slowly reaches the moisture level it needs and is ready for the next stage of its journey.
