About Gogogu #6
Gogogu comes to us from the town of Dida Haro Hada Raro in the Uraga district of Guji, located within Ethiopia’s Oromia region. Oromia is the largest region in Ethiopia and is home to more than 30 million people. Guji is one of the country’s oldest coffee-growing areas. Dida Haro Hada Raro is remote and difficult to access, especially during the rainy season. Gogogu is the Oromiffa word for dry and also the name of the principal mountain in the area.
To reach Dida Haro Hada Raro, one must first fly to Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, then take a local flight to the city of Hawassa. From Hawassa, the journey continues with a five-hour drive on dirt roads.
Dida Haro Hada Raro is home to Gogogu’s processing center, where local producers deliver their coffee cherry. They transport it from their farms by horse, mule, or donkey, traveling along dirt roads that become muddy and hazardous during the rainy season. The farms are located between 30 and 90 minutes away.
The local rainy seasons used to last only a few months each year, but due to climate change, they now stretch across nearly the entire year. This change has made daily life more difficult and has especially complicated transport and harvesting during the December to February coffee season. Producers must take advantage of rare sunny days to harvest and move as much coffee as possible, but those days are becoming increasingly rare.
The farmers in Gogogu use intercropping systems with false banana trees, maize, Korch, Wanza, and Sesa as shade trees, selecting species based on the age and needs of the coffee plants. The soil in the area is a sandy loam that is both fertile and well-draining, with excellent water retention. With proper planting methods, the soil supports high-quality coffee without requiring fertilizer.
The people of Gogogu belong to the Oromo ethnic group and speak Oromiffa. They preserve certain ancestral traditions and live quiet, coffee-centered lives. Many families lack access to electricity and clean drinking water. Most children do not start school until the age of nine because the nearest school is far away. As a result, many young people remain in agriculture, growing potatoes, coffee, maize, or false banana trees on family or community land.
Despite the challenges of life in Gogogu, the farmers are recognized in the specialty coffee world for their dedication, deep-rooted coffee knowledge, and outstanding quality.
