ETHIOPIA CO2 Washed Guji decaffeinated specialty coffee beans

Shakisso Farm – the Guji that became a legend

Some farms are simply known in the coffee world.

And some become a compass – the place we return to when we want to know where purity, elegance and the soul of Ethiopian coffee come from.

Shakisso is one of those places.

In the heart of Ethiopia, on the edge of Guji's forested hills, lies this estate at 1,800 metres, where coffee cherries don't grow in rows but woven into the fabric of a living forest.

Where the soil is volcanic, the light is soft, the air smells of flowers and citrus – and where coffee is not a product, but a heritage.

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The man who made history: Haile Gebre

Today, Haile Gebre's name is almost synonymous with Guji.

It's no coincidence that many call him “the father of Guji” – one of the most important figures in the region's rise in specialty coffee. But this story does not begin with glory. As a child, his family's land was taken from them. The coffee they lived on, the future they believed in.
The loss left such a deep mark on him that he built a life around one idea:

“The dignity of the coffee farmer is sacred.”

As a soldier, then as a university lecturer and a political leader, he worked to ensure that coffee communities finally received support, stability and fairness. He later spent three years in prison for his views — but they could not break him. He studied management in Moscow, then returned to Ethiopia, where, as governor of the Oromia region, he founded the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, today one of the pillars of the global specialty coffee trade.

Then, in 2001, at almost fifty, he returned to what he had lost as a child:

he bought land in Guji. Today it is known as Shakisso.

Shakisso Farm – where coffee is born in the forest

Shakisso is more than a farm: it is a model, a philosophy, a community.

🌿 Forest-shaded, biodiverse farming

Here, coffee does not grow as a monoculture.

Native plants, shade trees, wild orchids and shrubs live among the coffee trees.

This creates the harmonious microclimate in which the floral, citrusy, clean flavour profile is born.

🌋 Volcanic soil and an altitude of 1,800 metres

Slow ripening deepens every aroma.

In Ethiopia, altitude and natural forest are the greatest luxuries – here, both are a given.

🤝 Supporting 320+ local producers

The farm is not a closed world.

Haile buys the harvest of more than three hundred local families at a fair price, giving the community security and a future.

Today, Shakisso is not just a farm – it is a school, a role model, the heart of a community

Guji – the elegance of CO₂ decaf

This lot was decaffeinated in Germany using the gentlest method, the CO₂ process.

This method:

✓ preserves the floral aromatics

✓ leaves the natural sugars intact

✓ is completely solvent-free

✓ brings out the terroir's aromas cleanly and elegantly

That is what makes possible something rare in the world of decaf:

This coffee scores 85+ points.

A cup with every layer of Guji in it – just without the racing heart.

Why are we proud to put it on the R Coffee shelf?

Because an exceptional decaf is not a compromise, but a deliberate choice.

For those who want to drink quality in the evening too.

For those looking for pure Ethiopian aroma, without the caffeine.

And for those who feel that coffee is more than a drink: it is a story, a landscape, people, heritage.

Flavour profile: floral, sweet citrus, vanilla
Country of origin: Ethiopia
Region: Guji
Farm: Shakisso Farm
Farmer: Haile Gebre
Altitude: 1800 m
Variety: Heirloom
Process: CO₂ decaf
Cupping score: 85+
Harvest: 2024/25