If you travel to the south of Ethiopia and cross the famed Sidama coffee region, you can either continue on to Yirgacheffe and Guji, or take the road less traveled to Nensebo, West Arsi. Nensebo hasn't historically been well-known for specialty coffee, but that began to change around 2020, when several lots from the region scored well and found coveted spots on international auctions. Gora Kone is a standout washing station in the region, helping to promote this new reputation.

The Gora Kone station sources cherries from 700 to 1000 smallholder producers - all owning plots no larger than 3-hectares. Shade growing coffee is a natural practice, and most farms are well covered by wanza and acacia trees. The station itself processes both washed and natural coffees - at arrival, station workers pulp and ferment the coffees in large water bins for 42 to 46 hours. Water is refreshed every 12 hours until the parchment is ready for drying. Before being placed on the drying beds, the parchment is washed with water from the Gerenbicho river, an offshoot of the Nensebo river. Drying the parchment takes 10 to 12 days. After this, the station workers pack the coffees and lay them to ‘rest’ for a period of 30-days before transporting.