Qonqona Mill draws from the beautiful Qonqona River and is positioned 2 km from the bustling town of Daye in the heart of Sidama. Qonqona is owned by Assefa Dukama, from the Bensa region. The name of Qonqona’s manager is fitting: Eshettu, which means “ripe fruit” or “cherry.” The coffees here are as vivid and bright as the people who grow and process them, drawing from cherries between 1700 and 2100 masl in elevation. Coffee for Qonqona mill is drawn from thirty collection points in the area, with local representatives working to persuade farmers with premium incentives to produce and deliver high-quality, only-ripe cherries.
 

Subsistence farming is a way of life for the Sidama people, and in fact their beautiful farms are notable for having more division between them and more evidence of year-round cultivation. The Sidama people comprise roughly 20% of the overall population of Ethiopia. Coffee as a main economic driver remains vital to the Sidama people, and to those of us who love the area and wish to continue supporting it, and them.