Agaro Duromina
Duromina now operates independently with the oversight of a farmer-member leadership group, called Kata Muduga Union. Duromina is in the Goma region of Agaro Woreda, with farm altitudes between 1900 to 2100 meters. The name, chosen by the farmers, has quite a straight-forward meaning: it roughly translates as "Make More Money!" With the solid price Duromina receives for their coffee, and their success reinvesting in the Goma area, the name has proved quite appropriate.
Duromina was formed with the help of a non-government organization that not only coordinated agronomists and managers for each of the coops they work with, but also had a business adviser assigned that helped the cooperative manage their debt, re-invest in quality improvements at the mill, and verifies distribution of income to all members. This is a key position; I have never known a coop to get this kind of expert advice from outside ... not in Africa at least.
Location: Agaro, Jimma, Ethiopia
Producer: Duromina Cooperative
Altitude: 1975 - 2000 meters
Variety: Heirloom
Process: Washed
Arrive Date: September, 2024
About the farm: “Duromina” is a word in the Afan Oromo language that describes a blessing to succeed or to become wealthy. It is also the name of a cooperative in the Gomma district of Jimma zone in western Ethiopia. In the present day, Duromina’s washed grade-1 coffee is sought-after the world over. But that was not always the case.
The farmers of Duromina reside in the Gomma district of western Ethiopia, within the Jimma zone. Like much of Jimma zone, the Gomma district is a typical coffee country. The gently rolling hills range in height from 1975 to 2000 meters around Duromina. The local forest trees give plenty of shade. Coffee has grown wild here for centuries.
