Duromina comes to us from the Agaro region of Western Ethiopia, bringing with it notes of ripe, sultry melon and apricot sweetness tied together by vibrant Meyer lemon acidity. Nowadays, Duromina is a well-known heavy hitter with widespread name recognition, but it actually didn’t find its way to market until ten years ago, when USAID’s Technoserve project vested Agaro—once known for less-than-stellar Grade 5 sundried naturals—with brand-new processing equipment, allowing their coffee to showcase its unique character and improve the lives of those growing it in the process. Duromina operates under the leadership of the Kata Muduga cooperative union, whose continued investment in the coops that it leads makes possible some of the most delicious and coveted coffees in the world.

Thanks to Technoserve’s initial investment and the stellar leadership within Duromina and Kata Muduga, Duromina’s processing is immaculate, leading to an incredible showcase of the coffee’s natural potential year after year for a ridiculously long time off harvest. The secret? After Penagos processing equipment mechanically removes most of the fruit and mucilage from the seeds, they soak overnight in fiberglass tanks, allowing any remaining sugars to be fully removed from their surface so that the coffees are perfectly clean by the time they hit the drying beds for the eight-plus days they’ll need to dry.