Shoondhisa made it onto our top tier list of Ethiopian coffees in 2025

Our green coffee selection process at Maker for Ethiopia season this year was simple. We wanted expressive and fruit forward coffees that best reflect the place they are grown and bring an element of precision to their cup quality. 

We were impressed by Shoondhisa several times in our cupping lab before we committed to purchasing stock for 2025. After a closer look, we found that none other than Mr. Ture Waji is responsible for bringing this lot to life and it is no wonder that we have such fond memories of those early pre shipment sample cuppings. 

This group of producers is nestled in the hills of Shakiso, in the famous Guji region, dotted around the Suke drying station. The Suke drying station has been a benchmark coffee in the Sookoo Coffee Exports range since its establishment in 2017. Sookoo Coffee Exports works directly with Osito Coffee Importers who are our logistics provider responsible for bringing this lovely coffee to us at Maker. 

For five years the Suke drying station has served as the beating heart of the Shoondhisa coffee operation which is managed by the wonderfully talented Mr Ture Waji. 

Today, Suke buys cherries from approximately 35 smallholder farmers to produce the famed Shoondhisa natural lot. All cherries that are delivered to Suke are organically produced, reflecting both tradition and ecological stewardship, whilst keeping a keen focus on quality and precision in character that is developed through the attention to timing and detail during the fermentation and drying stages of production. 

We have found the 2025 harvest of the Shoondhisa lot to be delightfully bouyant in quality. With precise attributes that strike a resemblance to fresh blueberries, fragrant hibiscus tea and a deeply moreish cherry top note that we just can’t get enough of. 

This year’s Shoondhisa has a cup profile that reminds us of a time nearly 10 to 15 years ago, where many who were in the growing Melbourne specialty coffee scene fell in love with this particular style from Guji, hurriedly quit their 9-5 jobs, went down the rabbit hole of specialty coffee and never looked back!

This is about as pure as it gets from the Guji region and Shoondhisa is a shining example of a classic Ethiopian natural processed coffee. If you're looking for a game changer cup with oodles of classic character, then you've come to the right place.