Ethiopia Nansebo Natural // Sida Family

Wayou Sida was raised in rural Ethiopia's Bale administrative region. Coming from a family of coffee farmers, he was one of the few in his village to pursue higher education. At just 10 years old, Wayou had to move 65 km away from home to Dodolla for school. He attended Arbaminch Technical College, earning a diploma in Automotive Technology, before continuing his education at Addis Ababa University for engineering. In 2006, Wayou and his family won the Diversity Visa lottery, relocating to the United States. The economic downturn in 2008 led him to shift from automotive to social work, earning a graduate degree with honors from Saint Paul Metropolitan State University.

After Wayou’s kids finished high school, he turned his attention to improving the situation of family back home in Ethiopia. They had just moved to a new plot of land in the Nansebo woreda*, West Arsi zone, Oromia Region, about 400km from the capitol city. The virgin land was prepared and coffee planted, growing under the shade of native trees and nourished by consistent rainfall. A few years later, Wayou established AA Ethiopian Coffee Export in Ethiopia and SN Imports in Minnesota to send the coffee here. This crop from the Sida family is not only an excellent cup; it is available in the United States for the first time at the Sida’s St. Paul warehouse only.

Recognizing the importance of education, AA Ethiopian Coffee Export is dedicated to providing high school books and computers to four schools in the district where Wayou grew up.

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