About us
Three generations in Jimma coffee
Gulifa Coffee Pulping and Coffee Development PLC is a family-owned Ethiopian company, founded in 2000, that grows, processes and exports Ethiopian Arabica coffee.
Our story
Named after the creek at our washing station
Gulifa takes its name from the creek that runs through our washing station in Mana district, Jimma Zone, in the forested highlands of south-west Ethiopia. Our founder, Ahmed Ababula, grew up in a coffee family and built Gulifa from that experience. Today his son, Abdulaziz Ahmed Ababula, leads the company as CEO and Managing Director.
We export Ethiopian Arabica green coffee and manage the whole chain ourselves, from growing and buying cherry to processing and export preparation. Our lead coffees are Limmu and Jimma, and we can supply coffee from any Ethiopian region, in the profile and grade a buyer needs.
Our sites and projects
From farm to export: five parts of one business
Each site handles one step of the chain, so we control quality, traceability and delivery from the farm to the port and into the cup.
- ProductionJimma coffee farmOur 110 ha family farm in Mana district, Jimma Zone, at 1,800 to 1,950 m. Organic certified, grown under native forest shade and fully GPS-mapped.
- Wet processingWashing stationOur own washing station on the Gulifa creek, with pulping, fermentation and washing channels and raised African drying beds for fully washed coffee.
- Dry processingNatural processing siteWhole ripe cherry dries slowly in the sun on raised beds, turned by hand, to make fruity natural (unwashed) coffee.
- SourcingOutgrower programmes500 registered outgrowers under partnership contracts. We buy their red cherry and support them with training, free seedlings, farm planning and annual bonuses.
- Export preparationDukem coffee development projectOur 10,000 m² facility in Dukem, near Addis Ababa, for coffee processing and sorting, export preparation, roasting and packaging.
Message from the CEO
Three generations in Jimma coffee
Gulifa takes its name from the creek that runs through our washing station in Jimma, western Ethiopia. For my family, that name carries generations of work in coffee. My grandfather built his livelihood in coffee, and my father, Ahmed Ababula, carried that experience forward when he founded Gulifa in 2000. Today, as the third generation, I have the responsibility of building on their work and connecting more buyers directly with Ethiopian coffee and the people who produce it.
For an importer or roaster, trust begins with knowing where a coffee comes from, how it was handled and whether the supplier will deliver what was agreed. Our farm, washing station, natural processing site and Dukem project give us direct responsibility for the work that shapes quality. Our relationships with local growers extend that responsibility beyond our farm. Whether we are offering a washed Limmu or a natural Jimma, our job is to preserve what makes the coffee distinctive and give buyers the information they need to plan with confidence.
Our strategy is to deepen relationships with importers and roasters, strengthen quality control and traceability, and develop more of the processing and value-added work here in Ethiopia. As those capabilities grow, I want Gulifa to open dependable routes to market for producers across more of Ethiopia's coffee regions.
To our growers, colleagues and trading partners, thank you for the work and trust that have brought Gulifa this far. To those getting to know us, I invite you to taste our coffees, learn how we produce them and talk with us about what you want to source.
Abdulaziz Ahmed Ababula
CEO and Managing Director
Gulifa Coffee Pulping and Coffee Development PLC
Direction
Vision, mission and values
People and community
Coffee that supports Ethiopian growers
At harvest our estate employs about 700 seasonal workers alongside 15 permanent staff, and more than 70% of them are women. We buy red cherry from 500 registered outgrowers under partnership contracts, and support them with training, free seedlings, farm planning and annual bonuses. Read about our outgrower programme →
Tell us what coffee you need
Send the region, process, grade and volume you are looking for. We reply with an offer, availability and samples, usually within one working day.
A separate Gulifa business
Gulifa Coffee: our coffee shop chain
Besides exporting green coffee, the Gulifa family also owns Gulifa Coffee PLC, a related but separate coffee shop business in Addis Ababa. It brings the same Ethiopian coffee to guests in the city.
- 3 branchesBisrate Gabriel, Piassa, Torhayeloch
- 800–1,500Guests every day
- 200+Seats across the branches
- Since 2023Fourth branch, an airport flagship, coming
