Yerosati General Trading PLC is a company that has been trading coffee for many years. Although it has offices in Addis Ababa, it does most of its business in Wallagga. It is here that Yerosati collects its coffee, supported by its direct work with producers. Its manager, Sissay Bekele, comes from the region and has fond childhood memories of outings in the coffee forests, the harvests and the atmosphere at the processing stations.
For the past two years and due to changes in Ethiopian legislation, Yerosati has been able to export its coffee directly to other countries. Before this, they had to use the ECX, the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange in Addis Ababa, and they sold coffee only on the local market. The group now has its own export licence and has been able to develop its business in favour of higher quality and finely traced coffees. Belco is currently Yerosati’s only foreign customer.
