Marta Alemu has been cultivating coffee on her farm since the late 1980s. She inherited a 2-hectare plot from her family and, using the profits from her coffee production, purchased 2 additional hectares.

As part of the Lalisaa project, Marta receives comprehensive agronomy support from Sucafina Ethiopia. Lalisaa farmers attend farmer trainings to learn new techniques in cultivation, harvest and processing.

She’s invested to producing high quality coffees and exporting them through the Lalisaa project. Designed to support farmers by shortening the supply chain and increasing their returns, the Lalisaa project works with dedicated smallholder producers to expand market access, improve quality and increase yields.

Marta uses agroforestry techniques to produce both food and cash crops. Agroforestry also creates the ideal shaded microclimate for her coffee.Coffee is intercropped with food and other cash crops using agroforestry techniques. Marta’s farm is organic by default. She keeps his farm with periodic mulching, composting and pruning to boost yields.In addition to coffee, Marta also keeps livestock and cultivates food crops for her family.

Marta selectively handpicks ripe, red cherry and lays it to dry on raised beds. She turns cherry frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 2 to 4 weeks for cherry to dry.