Photo courtesy of Dilla Coffee.
Dilla Coffee, a family-owned shop selling specialty Ethiopian coffee, is opening soon in East Dallas.
The grand opening will include a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. Beans are roasted, coarsely grounded and put into a pot called a jebena. Hot water is poured into the jebena, and it’s allowed to come to a boil and then settle before coffee is poured.
Kebede Degefu is one of the owners of the store. He’s an electrical engineer by trade, but his family has owned a coffee farm in Ethiopia for generations.
Dilla Coffee is initially offering the Gotiti Washed Yirgacheffe coffee, which is grown on Degefu’s family’s farm in Ethiopia and roasted at the Dallas shop. The coffee is acidic, with undertones of vanilla and black tea. An 8 ounce bag costs $14, and this is the first time the family’s coffee is being made available to Dallas residents.
They plan to expand their offerings to include many more specialty coffee varieties from Ethiopia. They also want to host weekly events to draw in the community and eventually open a cafe.
Traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony set up. The coffee pot, called a jebena, is made of clay. Photo by Renee Umsted.
In Ethiopia, Degefu said, neighbors come together for coffee, and it becomes a way to share information and strengthen communities.
“Nobody is a stranger in a neighborhood,” Degefu said. “Here, everybody is in his own area. But there, you are everywhere. Everybody knows you.”
Coffee was discovered in Ethiopia, where there are more than 10,000 varieties, he said.
“Yirgacheffe is the best coffee in the world because the soil, a rich soil, and suitable climate,” Degefu said. “And also, God chose high altitude. That’s where the coffee was first found and only was growing in Ethiopia.”
Dilla Coffee’s grand opening is 9:30 a.m. March 25 at 3823 Ross Ave.Â
