Alo Chilaka

Alo Coffee was born from a dream and a true leap into the unknown. For years, Tamiru, a former university professor and electrical engineer, worked in the coffee industry. He observed firsthand the challenges of an industry where quality was too often neglected and where producers struggled to receive fair compensation. Despite his experience, the injustices associated with rock-bottom prices and undervalued labor long deterred him from launching his own venture.

Everything changed in 2020, when Ethiopia hosted its first Cup of Excellence. The event was a revelation: it proved that exceptional coffee could be celebrated and rewarded. Together with his wife, Messi, Tamiru set himself a clear mission: to demonstrate that Sidama coffees could compete with the best in the world.

In 2021, against all odds, their very first entry—a batch carefully prepared in their hometown of Alo, in Bensa—won Ethiopia’s Cup of Excellence. This success reaffirmed their belief: it is not just tradition, but passion and dedication that forge excellence.

Today, Alo Coffee remains driven by that same ambition: to offer the best coffees from Ethiopia, to exceed expectations, to honor the producers who make it all possible, and to share the still-unexplored potential of Ethiopian coffee with the whole world.