Tasting Notes: Apricot, Concord grape, jasmine

Variety: Ethiopia Heirloom

Elevation: 2350 MASL

Process: Natural

Region: Guji

Tagel Alemayehu is the founder of Olkai Coffee, a family-owned company operating in some of Ethiopia’s most celebrated coffee regions. Raised in Bule Hora, Tagel comes from a family deeply rooted in coffee—his father built the region’s first washing station and installed Ethiopia’s first Pinhalense dry huller.

In 2004, Tagel began his career as the manager of one of the earliest specialty natural processing stations in Guji. Building on decades of experience and relationships with local producers, he established Olkai Coffee in 2018, alongside his wife, who now manages exports.

Olkai manages a network of washing stations across Guji, Bule Hora, Sidama, and Hambela, producing coffees known for their exceptional clarity, floral aromatics, and fruit-forward sweetness. The Hambela site, in particular, benefits from high elevations of 1,900–2,300 meters, fertile red clay soils, and ideal microclimates, making it one of Ethiopia’s most sought-after origins.

More than a coffee company, Olkai is a long-standing partner in the communities it serves. With over 20 years of collecting cherry in southern Ethiopia, Tagel has built strong ties with producers who have entrusted him with land and collaboration, ensuring that Olkai coffees reflect both the heritage and the future of Ethiopian specialty coffee.