Worka Sakaro

Ethiopia Worka Sakaro – Anaerobic Natural

Ethiopia is widely considered the birthplace of coffee, one of the only places in the world where coffee still grows wild. Its nutrient-rich soil and unmatched genetic diversity of heirloom cultivars make Ethiopia’s coffees some of the most complex and celebrated in the world.

Worka Sakaro is a small municipality in the Gedeb district, just south of Yirgacheffe, and has become a hub for meticulous coffee production. More than half of the land in this high-altitude region is dedicated to coffee cultivation, with hundreds of smallholder farmers contributing their harvests. The area’s altitude, fertile soil, and careful farming practices combine to produce extraordinary flavor clarity and vibrancy in the cup.

For this anaerobic natural lot, ripe cherries are hand-picked and carefully sorted before undergoing a fermentation process not unlike fine wine making. The cherries are sealed in stainless steel canisters, creating a low-oxygen environment where naturally occurring yeasts begin to break down the fruit’s sugars. As the cherries ferment, undesirable gases like CO₂ are allowed to escape through one-way valves, preventing off-flavors and stabilizing the process. This controlled release mirrors wine fermentation, where careful venting produces a cleaner, more refined flavor.

The anaerobic stage typically lasts 4–5 days, during which pressure and temperature are closely monitored to ensure consistency from batch to batch. Once the coffee reaches the optimal point, it is moved to raised African drying beds, where it dries in thin layers under the sun for 15–18 days. This combination of slow fermentation and gradual drying amplifies fruit-forward sweetness, balances acidity, and builds a layered complexity that has become a signature of Worka Sakaro coffees.

Worka Sakaro’s anaerobic natural process intensifies the fruit-forward nature of Southern Ethiopian coffees, producing a cup that’s bright, aromatic, and layered with berries (raspberry, strawberry), florals (rose, hibiscus), and confectionary sweetness (chocolate mousse, marshmallow). Compared to traditional naturals, anaerobic fermentation brings out more exotic acidity, a silky body, and greater consistency across cups.