The Origin Atlas

Explore Ethiopia's Coffee Heritage — 12 Regions, 6,000+ Varieties, One Platform

"The birthplace of coffee, mapped for the digital age"

12
Coffee Regions
6,000+
Heirloom Varieties
1,100–2,400
Altitude Range (masl)
4
Processing Methods

Explore Interactive Region Map

Click any region to explore its altitude, varieties, cup character, and harvest timing. Ethiopia's coffee heritage spans from the wild forests of Kaffa to the highland gardens of Yirgacheffe.


Click a region on the map
to explore its details
Premium Specialty
Major Production
Emerging / Heritage

12 Origins Coffee Regions of Ethiopia

Each region carries a unique terroir fingerprint — altitude, soil, microclimate, and centuries of cultivation knowledge shape the cup character.

Yirgacheffe 1750–2200m
Floral, tea-like, jasmine, bergamot
Premium Washed Natural Oct–Jan Grade 1–2
Guji 1800–2300m
Vibrant fruit, blueberry, stone fruit
Premium Washed Natural Oct–Jan Grade 1–2
Hambela 2000–2300m
Intense blueberry, tropical fruit
Premium Natural Honey Oct–Dec Grade 1
Sidamo 1550–2200m
Wine-like, berry, citrus
Major Washed Natural Oct–Feb Grade 1–3
Harrar 1500–2100m
Wild, fruity, mocha character
Major Natural Oct–Feb Grade 3–4
Limu 1400–2100m
Balanced, spicy, wine-like
Major Washed Nov–Feb Grade 2–3
Jimma 1400–1900m
Earthy, chocolate, nutty
Major Natural Washed Oct–Feb Grade 3–5
Wellega 1500–2100m
Fruity, floral, exceptional sweetness
Major Washed Natural Nov–Feb Grade 2–3
Kaffa 1500–2100m
Wild, herbal, forest-like
Birthplace Natural Oct–Jan Grade 3–5
Bench Maji 1200–1900m
Earthy, herbal, wild
Emerging Natural Oct–Jan Grade 4–5
Teppi 1100–1700m
Clean, balanced, commercial quality
Emerging Washed Natural Oct–Feb Grade 3–5
Bale 1800–2400m
Bright, floral, high altitude
Emerging Washed Natural Nov–Feb Grade 2–3

Varieties Variety Encyclopedia

Ethiopia holds the world's largest repository of coffee genetic diversity. From the legendary Gesha to JARC research selections, each variety tells a story of adaptation and flavour.

Gesha / Geisha
Origin: Gesha forest, Kaffa region
The world's most prized coffee variety, originating from the Gesha forest in Ethiopia's Kaffa region. Rediscovered in Panama in 2004, Gesha regularly commands $100–$1,000+/lb at auction. Its floral complexity and jasmine-like aromatics are unmatched in the coffee world.
Altitude: 1,800–2,200m
Yield: Low
Flavor: Jasmine, bergamot, tropical
Disease: CBD resistant
Rarity: Very rare
Price: Ultra-premium
JARC 74110
JARC Selection · Illubabor origin
One of JARC's most successful CBD-resistant selections. Clean cup with excellent sweetness and medium body.
Altitude: 1,500–2,100m
Yield: High
Flavor: Sweet, clean, citrus
Disease: CBD resistant
JARC 74112
JARC Selection · Metu/Illubabor origin
Widely planted JARC selection with exceptional cup quality. Complex flavour profile rivals specialty heirlooms.
Altitude: 1,600–2,200m
Yield: Medium-High
Flavor: Fruity, floral, wine
Disease: CBD resistant
JARC 74148
JARC Selection · Gesha forest origin
Collected from the same forest as Gesha, sharing some of its prized characteristics. High potential for specialty markets.
Altitude: 1,700–2,100m
Yield: Medium
Flavor: Floral, tea-like
Disease: CBD resistant
JARC 74158
JARC Selection · Western Ethiopia
Released for its balance of disease resistance and productivity. Consistent cup quality suited to commercial specialty.
Altitude: 1,500–2,000m
Yield: High
Flavor: Balanced, chocolate
Disease: CBD resistant
Kurume
Heirloom Landrace · Sidamo/Guji
A cherished heirloom landrace from Ethiopia's southern highlands. Known for its distinctive winey character and heavy body.
Altitude: 1,700–2,200m
Yield: Low-Medium
Flavor: Wine, berry, heavy body
Disease: Moderate
Dega
Heirloom Landrace · Yirgacheffe
Named after the highland agro-ecological zone where it thrives. Produces small, dense cherries with intense aromatics.
Altitude: 1,900–2,300m
Yield: Low
Flavor: Jasmine, lemon, delicate
Disease: Moderate
Wolisho
Heirloom Landrace · Yirgacheffe/Sidamo
Tall tree landrace known for large leaves and cherries. Often the backbone of traditional garden coffee. Rich, full-bodied cups.
Altitude: 1,700–2,100m
Yield: Medium
Flavor: Rich, chocolate, full body
Disease: Low

Processing Processing Methods

How coffee cherries are processed after picking defines the final cup character. Ethiopia uses all four major methods, each producing distinct flavour profiles.

Natural
Sun-Dried / Dry Process
Whole cherries dried on raised beds under the sun. The fruit ferments around the seed, imparting intense fruity sweetness and heavy body. Ethiopia's oldest method.
15–25 days drying
Washed
Wet Process / Fully Washed
Cherries depulped, fermented in water tanks to remove mucilage, then washed clean before drying. Produces clean, bright, and complex cups with prominent acidity.
24–72h ferment + 10–15d dry
Honey
Pulped Natural / Semi-Washed
Cherries depulped but dried with mucilage still attached. Bridges natural sweetness and washed clarity. Growing in popularity among Ethiopian specialty producers.
10–20 days drying
Anaerobic
Controlled Fermentation
Cherries fermented in sealed, oxygen-free tanks. Allows precise control of fermentation, producing exotic, funky, and intensely complex flavour profiles.
48–120h ferment + 12–18d dry

Seasonality Harvest Calendar

Ethiopian coffee harvest runs primarily from October through February, with regional variation driven by altitude and microclimate. Knowing when each region peaks is critical for buyers.

Region Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Yirgacheffe
Guji
Hambela
Sidamo
Harrar
Limu
Jimma
Wellega
Kaffa
Bench Maji
Teppi
Bale
Peak harvest
Active harvest
Tail end

Kew Partnership Coffee Atlas of Ethiopia

The seminal Kew Royal Botanic Gardens atlas maps Ethiopia's coffee landscape using satellite data, field surveys, and agroecological models. It divides the country into 5 coffee zones and 16 areas — the scientific foundation for the digital origin platform.

5,000+
Wild Arabica Varieties
Kaffa/Bench Maji forests
1.2M+
Hectares Farmed
95% smallholder
2,000m+
Guji Elevations
Winey natural territory
20–30%
Yield Risk by 2050
Climate vulnerability
5 × 16
Zones × Areas
Kew classification

Coffee Suitability Classification

Excellent
Highland forests (1,800–2,400m). Wild genetic reserves, shade-grown, optimal rainfall. Kaffa, Bench Maji, high Guji.
Good
Mid-altitude zones (1,400–1,800m). Garden and semi-forest systems. Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Limu. Majority of commercial production.
Fair / Marginal
Lower elevations and drier areas. Climate-vulnerable. Most at risk from warming trends projected by Kew models.

Interactive Atlas Hub — Digital Strategy

Embed a dynamic map (Google Maps API + Leaflet.js) as the ECA website homepage hero. Users filter by variety, flavour tags, region, altitude, and processing method. Hover reveals tasting notes, photos, and “Find Suppliers” buttons linking directly to the member database.

Buyer Journey Optimization

Search bar: “Yirgacheffe floral washed”. AI recommendations: “Similar to Sidamo? Try Guji naturals.” Filter dropdowns for variety, flavour tags (“Floral,” “Berry”), region zones, altitude bands, and processing methods.

SEO & Content Strategy

Pages optimized for “Ethiopian coffee varieties map,” “buy Yirgacheffe online.” Monthly “Variety Spotlight” reels on Instagram/LinkedIn. Updated brochures at expos with QR codes linking to atlas.

Value-Added Beyond Green Beans

Transforming Ethiopia's coffee heritage into premium value-added products — from roasted regional profiles to freeze-dried instants, extracts, and the unique BunaMar coffee-honey. Each product category builds on the atlas's origin data and traceability infrastructure.

Premium Roasted Coffee
$15–30/kg premium

Regional taste profiles: Sidamo (balanced), Yirgacheffe (floral), Harrar (fruity-spiced), Guji (winey-complex). Shared roaster model reduces entry barriers for smallholders.

Freeze-Dried Instants
$10–20/jar • Asia & MENA

100% Ethiopian origin, aroma retention 80–90%. Targeting Asia and MENA premium instant markets. Positions Ethiopia beyond commodity green beans into branded consumer goods.

Extracts & Coffee Oil
$50–100/kg

RTD (ready-to-drink) concentrate bases, aromatic essences for food industry, coffee oil for cosmetics. High-margin industrial applications leveraging Ethiopia's unique flavour compounds.

BunaMar Coffee-Honey
Ethiopian Legacy Trademark

Monofloral honey from coffee blossoms, 20–30kg per hive annually. Produced in partnership with EHBPEA (Ethiopian Honey & Beeswax Processors & Exporters Association). Trademarked as “Ethiopian Legacy — BunaMar.” A unique product category only Ethiopia can offer.

Architecture OODB Data Model

The Origin Atlas is powered by a typed object graph in SpacetimeDB. Every region, variety, farm, and lot is a queryable object with rich attributes and cross-references.

Origin Atlas Object Graph

CoffeeRegion
name: string
altitude_min: number
altitude_max: number
cup_character: string
processing: string
harvest_start: string
harvest_end: string
export_grade: string
→
CoffeeVariety
name: string
category: string
origin_region: ref
altitude_range: string
flavor_profile: string
yield_potential: string
disease_resistance: string
→
Farm
name: string
region: ref<CoffeeRegion>
altitude: number
area_hectares: number
varieties: ref[]
owner: ref<Member>
→
ExporterLot
lot_number: string
region: ref<CoffeeRegion>
grade: string
process: string
volume_kg: number
cupping_score: number
harvest_year: string

Relationships

  • CoffeeRegion → CoffeeVariety (1:N)
  • CoffeeRegion → Farm (1:N)
  • Farm → ExporterLot (1:N)
  • CoffeeVariety → Farm (N:M via attributes)

Indexed Fields

  • name on all types (unique)
  • altitude_min for range queries
  • cupping_score for quality filtering
  • region refs for traversal