About MOPLACO
Even among the legendary players of Ethiopia, Moplaco’s Heleanna Georgalis and her father, Yiannis, stand out. The now-famous Moplaco Export Company was founded in 1972 by Yiannis. A third-generation coffee professional who moved from Greece to Dire Dawa, Harrar, during WWII. Finding a new home in Ethiopia’s Orthodox community, Yiannis became the third generation in his family. Working with coffee, embracing it with passion, talent, and dedication. After starting in coffee at age 12, Yiannis became a legendary player in Ethiopian coffee.
When he passed away, Moplaco legacy wenton to his daughter, Heleanna. Before entering coffee, she was living in Barcelona, having gone to business school and working as a successful investment banker. She had been planning to stay in Europe. But moved back after her father’s death in order to keep the family land. Pushed by Ethiopian law, which does not allow intergenerational land ownership. Unless the land is consistently in use, she made the choice to take over, and the rest was history. She returned to Ethiopia to continue the legacy of coffee in her family. Taking over the family land and continuing to grow and improve both the family business and Ethiopian coffee as a whole.
Through years of hard work and meticulous focus, she produces some of the brightest. Most complex coffees we’ve ever tasted, and we’re excited to buy and showcase them. Heleanna is known for her love of experimentation and willingness to take risks in order to create a transcendent cup of coffee. Her farming and processing practices are the absolute gold standard, diverse and honed over time. Along with immaculate washed coffees, her sundried coffees show an exquisite and unique cleanliness, along with a distinct citric character like lime along with the other fruits they bring to the table.
Washing Station
In 2017 a Boutique Washing Station in the highlands of Sidamo was purchased. Located in Bensa District, in an altitude of 2100 meters, Logita Station is bordered by a clean river. That generously provides cold and clean water, Bensa Logita has become MOPLACO’S Experimentation Hub. Processing bright, distinct coffee with deep complexity and aromatics from Washed Coffees, to Honey Coffees, Experimental Lots and great Sundried Coffees.
Moplaco Trading has four washing stations and drying stations across Sidamo and Yirgacheffe, with hulling equipment and guest rooms so that partners can come, rest and experiment with then. Buying cherries from local farmers located around stations and the differing villages. Producing micro-lots that are unique to each farmer, by their character. Company also owns a Farm in the last indigenous forest of Ethiopia, in Sheka, of 200 ha, also farming and processing coffee from this magic land.
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