Coffee, one of the most important and widely demanded farm products in the world, Predictably, the demand for coffee is year-round, but the market is expected to grow annually by 5.8%. Supply chain management in the coffee sector is therefore not heavily dependent on seasons. But since coffee harvests end in late February here in Ethiopia, The following months did weigh much of the work on coffee producers.

In a press release of the authority of tea and coffee given, Coffee exported to the international market in the previous Ethiopian month of Megabit (March and April) was close to 29,000 tons, with revenue generated over 107 million US Dollars. This amount is the second-highest revenue and amount an east African nation gathered in a month. This comes to the record-breaking export in coffee was in May, The export of coffee generated 130.52 million US dollars in the Month of Ginbot (May) as revenue continues to grow at a record rate for three consecutive months. Ethiopia has exported a total of 32, 669 tonnes of coffee to the international market in May. According to the press release, the increase in revenues last month cannot be underestimated when compared to the earlier month's earnings and noted that the trend shows how much the sector is being stimulated.

But through all this good news, it came with a price of dealing with the hectic and complex process of production, shipping, and logistical issues that producers and exporters face.

Here at Daye Bensa Coffee, We have been sourcing coffee from our farms, the out growers program, the ECX and through Vertical Integration to meet the high demand. Even though the increase in Sourced Coffee is a good thing, the logistics have been under pressure because of the shortage of containers in Addis, devaluation of the local currency, and lack of trucks to transport, and also the inadequacy of vessels in relation to the worldwide starting from Suez Canal - Ever Given incident. These have been issues that we had to address.

Fig 1: Train and Containers

In spite of these pitfalls, our warehouses are full to the brim, we are working 3 shifts (16 hours) per day and doubled our dry milling capacity this year with 76-80 tonnes a day. And despite all the drawbacks, our shipments are through the roof, as demand is high for freshly harvested crops.

Since Coffee is a delicate commodity, its quality comes hand in hand with dedicated time and attention given. A producer should be able to invest time, knowledge, technology, and consistency to achieve its desired outcome. That is what Daye Bensa Coffee has been working on and refining its pre, peri, post-harvesting, and its logistic processes for the past decades.