Ethiopian Dry Coffee Production: Complete Quality Control & Processing Guide for Exporters

In Ethiopian coffee terminology, "dry coffee" refers to processed coffee that has been dried to the appropriate moisture content and is ready for hulling, grading, and export. This is essentially what international buyers know as parchment coffee (for washed processing) or dried cherry (for natural/dry processing) before final milling to produce clean green coffee beans.

The quality of dry coffee directly determines the final grade and value of Ethiopian green coffee at auction and export. Issues during drying-uneven moisture, mold development, over-fermentation, contamination-become permanent defects that cannot be corrected during milling. This is why Ethiopian coffee authorities place such emphasis on quality control during dry coffee preparation.

As Mr. Asrat Mekuria emphasized in recent ECTA training programs: "It is important to focus on preparing dry coffee in large quantities while maintaining its quality for the central market." This balance between volume and quality is the fundamental challenge of Ethiopian coffee production at scale.

Ethiopia's coffee production relies on a distributed network of processing facilities spanning all major coffee-growing regions. Understanding this infrastructure is essential for international buyers evaluating Ethiopian coffee sourcing and quality assurance systems.

According to recent ECTA reports, 18,000 tons of coffee have been supplied to the central market so far this production year through this processing network. While significant, authorities note this is below expectations, highlighting ongoing challenges in production volume, quality consistency, and market access that training programs aim to address.

The regional Coffee, Tea, and Spice Authority works with woreda (district) and kebele (sub-district) level agricultural offices to monitor processing facilities, provide training, and ensure compliance with national quality standards before coffee reaches the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) or direct specialty export channels.

Ethiopian coffee quality standards are established by the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (federal level) and enforced through regional authorities and woreda-level inspection systems. These standards apply to dry coffee before it enters the central market for grading and export preparation.

The Ethiopian grading system classifies coffee into grades based on defect counts:

Quality standards are enforced at multiple checkpoints: at the processing facility before delivery to central market, at ECX intake and grading, and during final export preparation. This multi-layer system ensures that defective coffee is identified and downgraded or rejected before reaching international buyers.

Mr. Asrat Mekuria emphasized in recent training that "the causes of quality defects and the failure to bring fully prepared products to the central market should be identified in each area." Understanding these defects is critical for both Ethiopian processors and international buyers evaluating coffee quality.

The ECTA training programs led by coffee production preparation expert Ato Shimelis Aragaw focus specifically on defect prevention during dry coffee preparation. Key prevention strategies include proper cherry selection at harvest, controlled fermentation management, even drying on raised beds with regular turning, moisture monitoring, and contamination prevention during storage and transport.

The Regional Coffee, Tea, and Spice Authority, led by Director General Mr. Asrat Mekuria, has launched comprehensive training and monitoring programs to address quality challenges in Ethiopian dry coffee production. These initiatives work in collaboration with the Food System Resilience Program (FSRP) to strengthen institutional capacity and improve on-the-ground processing practices.

Mr. Asrat Mekuria's emphasis on "identifying gaps that still need to be corrected" reflects a data-driven approach to quality improvement. Training participants-including zone and city administration sector leaders, woreda coffee team leaders, and processing facility experts-receive documentation focusing on dry coffee production preparation and quality maintenance prepared by Authority specialists.

The Authority's goals extend beyond training to systemic improvement: ensuring coordination between all structures (federal, regional, zonal, woreda levels), preventing product accumulation at processing facilities, maintaining quality standards throughout the supply chain, and facilitating timely market entry for properly prepared coffee.

The Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) serves as the central market where most Ethiopian coffee is graded, traded, and prepared for export. Understanding ECX's role and requirements is essential for both Ethiopian processors delivering dry coffee and international buyers sourcing Ethiopian green coffee.

Mr. Asrat Mekuria's concern about product accumulation at processing facilities highlights a critical challenge: when dry coffee fails to meet ECX intake standards or processors lack proper documentation and logistics support, coffee accumulates at origin, risking quality degradation and financial losses.

ECTA's training programs emphasize preparing coffee that meets central market requirements on first submission, reducing rejection rates and ensuring smooth market access. This includes proper moisture management (preventing both over-drying and under-drying), defect sorting before delivery, appropriate packaging to prevent contamination, complete documentation, and coordination with ECX logistics systems.

The recent training and 6-month performance review conducted by the Regional Coffee, Tea Authority represents a comprehensive approach to quality improvement, bringing together stakeholders at every level of the production system.

Ato Shimelis Aragaw, a coffee and tea production preparation expert at the Authority, presents the training document focusing on dry coffee production preparation and quality maintenance. This documentation serves as both training material during forums and reference material for ongoing implementation at processing facilities.

The 6-month performance review component allows participants to share challenges encountered during the production season, present data on volumes and quality outcomes, identify systemic bottlenecks requiring policy or infrastructure solutions, and develop coordinated action plans for remaining production months.

Mr. Asrat Mekuria's call for "in-depth discussion" and "common solutions" reflects recognition that quality improvement requires collaboration between government authorities, processing facilities, cooperatives, and farmers-not just top-down mandates.

The Regional Coffee, Tea, and Spice Authority operates as the critical coordination layer between federal policy (Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority) and on-the-ground production (woreda agricultural offices and processing facilities). This middle-tier role is essential for translating national quality standards into local implementation.

Director General Mr. Asrat Mekuria's leadership emphasizes coordination between all structures-recognizing that quality coffee production requires alignment between federal authorities setting standards, regional authorities providing training and oversight, zonal offices coordinating across districts, woreda agricultural teams supporting local facilities, and processing facilities implementing best practices.

The Authority's collaboration with the Food System Resilience Program (FSRP) brings additional resources and technical support to quality improvement initiatives, including funding for training programs, support for infrastructure improvements at processing facilities, technical assistance for quality control systems, and data systems for tracking production and quality metrics.

Understanding the complete processing pathway from fresh cherry to market-ready dry coffee reveals where quality is maintained or lost. Each processing method has distinct quality control requirements.

ECTA training emphasizes that quality control must occur at every processing stage, not just final inspection before market delivery. Problems identified during intake inspection or grading typically originated days or weeks earlier during fermentation, drying, or storage-when prevention would have been far easier than correction.

Based on ECTA training materials and industry best practices, these protocols help processing facilities consistently produce high-quality dry coffee for both ECX central market and direct specialty export.

For international buyers, understanding how Ethiopian dry coffee moves from processing facilities to export channels helps evaluate supplier capabilities and quality assurance systems.

Mr. Asrat Mekuria's concern about ensuring "there is no product accumulation and that it enters the central market" highlights that documentation and logistics challenges can prevent otherwise quality coffee from reaching buyers. ECTA training addresses these operational barriers alongside technical quality improvements.

Quality exporters like Ethio Coffee Export PLC maintain direct relationships with processing facilities, conduct pre-shipment quality verification, and provide complete documentation and traceability for every lot-ensuring that the careful quality management during dry coffee preparation translates into consistent quality for international roasters and importers.

The ECTA training programs and performance review initiatives represent ongoing commitment to elevating Ethiopian coffee quality. Several trends and developments will shape the future of Ethiopian dry coffee production and quality assurance.

The collaboration between government authorities (ECTA, regional authorities), development programs (FSRP), private exporters, cooperatives, and processors creates a comprehensive ecosystem supporting quality improvement. As Mr. Asrat Mekuria emphasized, success requires "all structures working in coordination"-recognizing that Ethiopian coffee quality is a shared responsibility and competitive advantage.

For international buyers, these quality initiatives translate into more consistent supply of high-grade Ethiopian coffee, improved traceability and transparency throughout the supply chain, reduced quality defects and rejection rates, and stronger partnerships with Ethiopian exporters committed to quality excellence.