In 2006, brothers Asefa and Mulugeta Dukamo founded Daye Bensa, a coffee grower and exporter in Ethiopia. Daye Bensa exports coffee from its farm in Shantawene Village, as well as from "out-growers" in three villages: Shantawene, Karamo and Bombe. This Shantawene coffee is named after the village, where the majority of the people, many of them women, work on the coffee farm. Daye Bensa sits at 1,900–2,217 metres, and the delivered cherry comes from out-growers' farms higher up the mountain, between 2,000 and 2,400 metres. Daye Bensa owns 15 washing stations across three districts that handle all the coffee they export. All farms are certified in organic and C.A.F.E. practices and are working on additional certifications. In July 2018, the company hosted an Out-Growers Day. Nearly 1,000 farmers gathered to celebrate their harvests and to receive second payments for their coffee cherry contributions. Daye Bensa additionally rewarded the top three farmers from each of the three villages with certificates and cash prizes, recognising them for consistently delivering high-quality cherries. Going forward, Daye Bensa is hoping to work with more farmers, to particularly encourage women farmers, and to work with Hawassa University to help students perform research to improve coffee quality.
