Daye Bensa, founded by brothers Asefa and Mulugeta Dukamo in 2006, is an Ethiopian coffee grower and exporter. They export coffee from their Shantawene farm and from smallholders (out-growers) in the Shantawene, Karamo, and Bombe villages. The name Ethiopia Shantawene comes from the village where most of the farm's workers, many of whom are women, live.
Each year, Daye Bensa hosts an Out-Growers Day, where nearly 1,000 farmers gather to celebrate the harvest and receive second payments. The top three farmers from each village also receive certificates and cash prizes for high-quality cherry contributions. Daye Bensa plans to work with more farmers, specifically encouraging women farmers, and to partner with Hawassa University on research to improve coffee quality.
Shantawene won 7th place (from more than 1,400 entries) in the 2020 Cup of Excellence in Ethiopia. This Typica variety was processed naturally, dried in the shade on raised beds, contributing to its notes of strawberry, yogurt, and oolong.
