An export coffee preparation facility is being set up in Jimma and West Guji Zone in Oromia Regional State. Constructed by Kerchanshe Trading, one of the largest producers and exporters of coffee in the country, the facilities will be the first of their kind located outside Addis Abeba and Harar. Kerchanshe, which embarked on the project over a year ago, expects to have the facilities functional at the start of the next fiscal year.

The new coffee preparation facilities will be an addition to its three facilities in Addis Abeba. Two of the facilities in Addis Abeba can process up to 30,000tn of coffee annually and have been operational for over five years. The third one, located near Gelan Condominium, is expected to start work shortly, according to Asnake Kassam, quality control & certification director at the company.

The majority of the country's coffee preparation facilities, or industries as they are commonly referred to, are located in or near the capital, which has 105, while Harar has 25.

"The facility in Jimma will be able to serve all the company's western sources of coffee," said Asnake. "Coffee sourced from the south and southwestern parts will be processed at Bule Hora in Guji."

Kerchanshe, which specialises in coffee sourced from Yirgacheffe, Lekempti, Gimbi, Jimma and Sidamo, has finalised the civil construction of both new sites. A milling machine is being installed at the facility in Bule Hora, West Guji, from where the company plans to export coffee through the Port of Mombassa. The milling machine for the site at Jimma is in transit.

Coffee contains up to 30pc waste before it gets to its final stage and this all adds on to the extra cost in logistics, according to Asnake.

"We can avoid these costs, as well as save time and labour in the process," he said.

Assigning representatives from the Customs Commission and the Coffee & Tea Authority, which is responsible for grading, is what remains to be done, according to Hairu Nuru, market information & regulatory director at the Authority.