Samii Lalesa

Samii Lalesa is grown by smallholder farmers surrounding the Alemayehu Tilahun Washing Station in Lalesa. The landscape is densely planted with layered vegetation - coffee grows beneath shade trees, including the distinctive ‘false banana,’ creating a natural canopy that protects both soil and plant life. This semi-forest style of farming reflects longstanding agricultural traditions in Gedeo, where coffee forms part of a diverse agroecosystem that improves soil health and contributes to the steady, slow maturation of coffee cherries.