Tabe Burka Coffee Washing Station is a washing station located near the village of Ske Walakata in Guji zone Ulaga, Oromia. The washing station is operated by the company Barkume Coffee Export Plc, which is also an exporter. The owner and general manager, Mr. Tadesse Edema, has been involved in the coffee industry since 1995 and owns three washing stations and two dry mills for the production of specialty coffees.
Barkume exports Ethiopian Arabica coffees in general, but has particular expertise in highland coffees from the Sidamo region (around 2000m above sea level), and Barkume itself owns two estates in the Oromia region and is working to improve its production techniques and quality. The company also supports sustainable agriculture in the region as a whole, spreading specialty coffee production to local communities by advising and partnering with more than 700 producers in the Guji zone.
The Tabe Burka washing station was established in 2008 as the first washing station in the area. The company's social mission is not limited to coffee; it has also contributed to the construction of schools and roads in the area, supporting the coffee industry and livelihoods in the region. Today, about 300 small producers in five villages in the surrounding area (10-20 km) supply Tabe Burka with cherries. In order to produce high-quality coffee, incentives are offered according to the quality of the cherries to motivate the producers and to achieve sustainable coffee production.