Crop calendar
Ethiopia Coffee Crop Calendar
Cycle summary
- Crop year
- Crop year commonly quoted October–September
- Harvest
- October–January, varying by region and altitude
- Export window
- December–August, with the freshest arrivals January–April
- Species
- Arabica
- Altitude
- 1,500–2,300 m
- Ports
- Djibouti (primary transit port)
Calendars
2 regional cycles
Each calendar covers one growing area or one crop cycle. Where a country runs more than one, they are shown separately rather than averaged.
Southern and western Ethiopia — Yirgacheffe, Sidama, Guji, Limu, Djimma
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
- Flowering: Feb–Apr
- Cherry development: Apr–Sep
- Harvest: Oct–Jan. Higher altitude picks later
- Processing & drying: Oct–Feb. Naturals extend furthest
- Dry milling & grading: Dec–Apr
- Main export window: Dec–Aug
Freshest arrivals into Europe and North America land roughly February to May.
Eastern highlands — Harrar
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
- Flowering: Mar–May
- Cherry development: May–Sep
- Harvest: Oct–Feb
- Processing & drying: Oct–Mar
- Dry milling & grading: Jan–May
- Main export window: Jan–Aug
Harrar is dry-processed throughout, so drying and resting extend the pre-shipment timeline.
These are typical ranges
Harvest timing shifts year to year with rainfall, and within a country with altitude and aspect. Treat these as planning ranges rather than as fixed dates, and confirm the position for the specific crop when a shipment window is being agreed.
Regions
Regional harvest timing
Which areas pick when, and what that means for the separations available at each point in the season.
| Region | Altitude | Species | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yirgacheffe | 1,750–2,200 m | Arabica | October–January |
| Sidama (Sidamo) | 1,500–2,200 m | Arabica | October–January |
| Guji | 1,700–2,300 m | Arabica | October–January |
| Limu | 1,400–2,000 m | Arabica | October–January |
| Harrar | 1,400–2,100 m | Arabica | October–February |
| Djimma (Jimma) | 1,400–1,900 m | Arabica | October–January |
| Kaffa & Bench Maji | 1,400–2,000 m | Arabica | October–January |
Keep reading
Planning a shipment
- Coffee Crop YearWhat a coffee crop year is, why the convention differs between origins, and why "current crop" should never appear alone in a contract.
- Current Crop vs Past CropWhat distinguishes current crop from past crop green coffee, why storage matters more than age, how to recognise the difference, and how to contract around it.
- Green Coffee ShippingHow green coffee moves from East African origins to destination: corridors, ports, transit time drivers, cargo protection and what to check on arrival.
- Ethiopia Green CoffeeEthiopian green coffee: regional designations, the Grade 1–5 classification, washed and natural preparations, washing station traceability and export via Djibouti.
- Container Loading for Green CoffeeHow many bags of green coffee fit in a 20ft or 40ft container — and why the honest answer is a calculation, not a number. Payload limits and stow patterns.
- Current AvailabilityCurrent crop availability by origin, species, process and grade.