Ato Dukale was born near Bensa, in the Sidama region, where his parents already had a coffee farm. Very quickly, his interest turned to coffee. He spent a long time travelling around his native region to collect his first bags from the various Sidama farmers. In the late 1980s, Ato Dukale built his first washing station in Daye Bensa, which he called "Awraja and his family." Awraja was the name of the department where he grew up. It was also Ato Dukale's nickname when he was a renowned volleyball player and travelled the country with his team, under the colours of his district: Bensa Awraja!
Since then, his business has flourished, and Dukale Wakayo Dakola (DWD) now has 16 collection centres in the Sidama and Yirgacheffe regions. It has been taken over by Ato Dukale's sons, Assafa, Shahsamo and Yamrot, who, along with their father, put all their energy into producing quality coffees.
