Asikana Ethiopia is a USDA Certified Organic and Bird Friendly® coffee from the Lalisa Birbir community in Aira, West Welega, Ethiopia.

It is light roasted and produces a light-bodied cup with tasting notes of blackberry, chocolate, and lavender.

History of Asikana:

The founder of Asikana Coffee, Mr. Bodja Gelalcha and his family have deep community ties with the area stretching back for over 200 years. Coffee cultivation is an integral part of rural life in that part of the country. Bodja, the eldest son of a farmer, in a family of four boys and two girls, with huge thirst for knowledge and education, grabbed the opportunity for schooling at an early age.

After finishing his master’s degree in developmental studies, Bodja worked in various development projects. These experiences equipped him with a fundamental vision of how to improve living standards in his native community. Asikana was established with the goal of educating community members on the development and production of high-quality coffee. Asikana in Afan Oromo (the language of Oromia) means "we start from here."

Asikana was established in 2008 with its head office in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Asikana has farm sites in Buri and Kalo of Wora Kura and Kure administrative units (Kebeles) in Aira District part of Western Wollega Zone, Oromia Regional State. These farm sites are located 509 Km from Addis Ababa. At all of its farm sites, the company's primary business is coffee production. However, a secondary business is honey production. Honey is a complimentary product because bees play a vital role in the cross-pollination of the bloomed coffee plant.

Asikana is coordinating over 1,000 farmers (or “out growers” as they are known in Ethiopia) in the Aira District, training them on how to control the quality of their coffee.

About the Kebele:

Lalisa Birbir, especially the center of the kebele, is 12 Km from Aira town to the east and found on an altitude of 1,568m. The population size of this kebele is about 5,829. They have only one road that the community uses for transport facilities. Coffee from this kebele is characterized by a long berry type and has very good cup quality. The society here largely depends on coffee for their cash needs as the topography of the land is not convenient for annual crop cultivation.

Asikana’s major coffee drying station, warehouse, coffee laboratory and guesthouse are situated in the town of Aira. The fruit collection, drying, storing, and cupping will take place in this station. Blending and hulling will also take place here and before the coffee is then transported to Moplaco in Addis for further processing at export standard. Moplaco operates in a facility of more than 4,000 square meters, two separate stores, each process either washed coffee or sundried coffee. Modern machines, two electronic sorters, and an obsession allow the company to process up to twenty metric tons a day. All finishing touches are done by women carefully handpicking the coffee, to ensure optimum quality.

History of Asikana + San Cristobal Coffee Importers in USA + CAFESUMEX in Mexico:

In 2019, Asikana sent an intern named Mengistu to San Cristobal’s Mexico office in Tepic, Nayarit. The purpose of his internship was to take quality control knowledge back to Ethiopia to improve the efficiency and quality of Asikana’s harvest. Mengistu returned to Ethiopia in May 2019 to set up a FincaLab® standard cupping lab. Three years later, Mengistu continues to implement coffee QMS and improve the quality of Asikana’s coffee.

“The Bird Friendly certification is so important for us because the existence of birds in the coffee farm shows there is peace and biodiversity on the farm, birds feed on and reduce insects and worms that can damage coffee plants, birds play a vital role in the distribution of shade trees for the coffee, and also we love them for recreational and mind refreshment purposes. We feel very good when we see birds and other wildlife in our coffee farm because it shows the coffee farm is safe with no chemicals applied to the field.” Mengistu of Asikana Coffee

Featured Bird: 

Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill • Bycanistes brevis

A native to Eastern Africa, the Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill is the featured bird on Asikana's Buri Coffee Farm. You can easily distinguish the male as it has a large casque adorned on top of its bill, believed to amplify his calls. Silvery-cheeked hornbills are monogamous, with pairs forming strong bonds and often remaining together for many years. 

These hornbills primarily rely on a diet of fruits from forest trees, but they also consume insects, small mammals, and birds, showcasing their opportunistic feeding habits. They play a crucial role in their ecosystems as seed dispersers, contributing to the regeneration of their forest habitats.

Despite their large size and powerful flight, Silvery-Cheeked Hornbills face habitat destruction and degradation threats, primarily due to deforestation and agricultural expansion. These birds require large territories for foraging, making them vulnerable to the effects of habitat fragmentation. Deforestation also threatens their unique nesting strategy; the female seals herself into a tree cavity with her brood, leaving only a tiny opening for the male to deliver food to the female and chicks until they are ready to fledge.

The conservation of their natural habitats is vital for their survival, highlighting the importance of forest conservation efforts in East Africa.

Fun Fact:

Hornbill beaks are made of honeycombed bone with a thin layer of overlaying keratin. Despite looking very heavy, they are quite lightweight!