Ardi Natural is sourced from 300 smallholder coffee producers whose lands surround the Megado Coffee Processing station outside of Damo, a village in Sidama, Ethiopia. Producers have small coffee plots which they harvest and use as a cash crop to supplement their incomes. Some producers actively cultivate coffee on their land, but often the coffee trees grow wildly on their property or in the adjacent forests. Ardi is made up of the heirloom varietal coffee trees that thrive in the highland forests here and are indigenous to Ethiopia. Once harvested the coffee producers bring their cherries to the mill and sell them. Once purchased, the mill processes Ardi naturally, a process that leaves the fruit intact around the coffee seeds during drying. This process brings forward the enzymatic fruitiness of this coffee and conserves water, a scarce resource in the area. The coffee is carefully dried on raised beds and turned hourly to ensure an even drying. Our roast highlights vibrant fruity flavors with notes of: dried mango, honey, strawberry, & watermelon.