Tamiru's journey to becoming a legend in Ethiopian coffee began in Bensa, a district in the Sidama region where coffee was more than just a crop: it was a way of life. Growing up in a community of smallholder farmers, many of whom depended on coffee for their livelihoods, Tamiru saw firsthand the struggles they faced. Despite producing exceptional coffee, these farmers had little access to markets that could truly reward the quality of their work. The lack of connection to high-value supply chains left them with limited prospects for improving their lives.
Determined to change this, Tamiru took a bold step in 2020. During a time of global uncertainty, he founded his own coffee washing station and export company, ALO. He began by purchasing coffee cherries from his neighbors and exporting them to high-end specialty markets in Southeast Asia. Over time, his business expanded into Europe, bringing Sidama's exceptional coffee to new audiences.
Tamiru’s gamble paid off in 2021 when his coffee took first place in the prestigious Cup of Excellence, a remarkable achievement in an incredibly competitive field. Today, Tamiru is recognized both in Ethiopia and around the world as a visionary leader. The farmers who once had little hope for a stable future are now receiving higher wages and recognition for their craft. Thanks to Tamiru, coffee from Sidama is enjoyed by enthusiasts in cities from Tokyo to Shanghai, Berlin to London, and even in our own small town of Viroqua, Wisconsin.
Over the past few years Tamiru has focused on village-level separations. Historically, Ethiopian coffees come from hundreds, if not thousands of producers whose coffee cherries are aggregated and processed together at washing stations. While undoubtedly this process has and can produce outstanding results, Tamiru’s focus on small villages yields flavor profiles with greater clarity, giving us an even deeper understanding and appreciation of the endless flavors of coffee found throughout Ethiopia’s coffee growing landscape.
This selection from the Bombe village was an immediate hit. During our visit in early 2026, the Wonderstate team tasted through more than 40 samples from the newest harvest, selecting coffees that best reflected Tamiru’s vision and our hopes of highlighting the diversity and excellence of Ethiopian coffee. Upon tasting Bombe, we immediately knew we had to share this coffee with you all, because yes, the blueberry is back. Bombe is the sort of coffee that makes us fall in love with coffee all over again. Call it nostalgia, but we can’t get enough of the classic blueberry profile. These days it’s hard to find any coffee that remotely harkens back to the “Blueberry Ethiopian” coffee of decades past, but Bombe not only hits the mark, it sets a new standard for what we know Ethiopian coffee can be at its best.
