BENCH MAJI SPICES PRODUCTS
Spices are an excellent intercrop for coffee and grow well in coffee’s shaded microclimate. They also enhance coffee production.
As well as being an asset to coffee from an agricultural perspective, spice farming allows BMCFCU members to generate extra income, enhance their livelihoods, and generally be more resilient to the uncertainties of climate conditions and fluctuating prices.
We market, process and quality-control the products from our member farms and ensure the farmers get a fair and sustainable price for their high-quality, hand-harvested spices.
We also provide ongoing training to our members to ensure the quality of our products, a sustainable income for our member farmers and to help them protect the environment/forest on which their livelihoods depend.
BENCH MAJI FOREST SPICES
Like our coffee and honey products, BENCH MAJI COFFEE FARMERS LTD COOPERATIVE UNION (BMCFU) spices are a product of the Bench Maji Forest where everything grows naturally in the wild forest.
Our spices are ideal intercrops for coffee and grow in the shade of the larger coffee trees. Our cooperative union farmer members grow semi-forest spices such as Cardamom, Black Pepper, Long Pepper and Turmeric in their gardens, within Bench Maji forest area.
All spice produces at Bench Maji are 100% organic and are harvested in a way that ensures their freshness and exceptional flavour. This also contributes to preserving their multiple health benefits, century-old medicinal virtues and outstanding taste.
TURMERIC
Turmeric, otherwise known as “the golden spice”, is one of the most popular spices in Ethiopia and used daily for both traditional medicine and cooking purposes.
Turmeric is widely cultivated in Ethiopia for personal consumption. However, commercial cultivation of this spice is limited to Bench Maji and Sheka zones where quality and quantity can be achieved for both local and international markets.
Turmeric is mainly used as food colouring and a cooking spice. That said, it also receives wide attention from the health market. Its unique chemical composition of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals also allows Turmeric to be used in medicinal form to treat common and chronic health conditions.
BLACK CARDAMOM
Black Cardamom, otherwise known as Korarima, is another important spice in Ethiopia’s culinary culture. It is in spice mixes for cooking and to flavour coffees.
Black Cardamom is not dissimilar to green cardamom. It has a stronger and sharper floral aroma, with a strong camphor presence, with hints of cloves, pepper and nutmeg.
It grows abundantly in the natural forest of Bench Maji zone where the forest provides a suitable microclimate and facilitates optimum growth potential.
Black cardamom seeds provide many health benefits for the body, skin and hair. The seeds, oils and extracts of black cardamom are considered to have impressive medicinal properties and have been used in traditional medicine for centuries.
BLACK PEPPER
Known as “King of All Spices”, Black Pepper is one of the oldest and widely used spices in the world.
Black pepper is mainly used as a cooking spice. It is also used as an ingredient in spice mixes and as an essential ingredient of numerous commercial foodstuffs.
Multiple health benefits have been reported for black pepper which is also attractive to the health and wellness market.
LONG PEPPER
Ethiopian Long Pepper (or Timiz pepper in Ethiopia) is indigenous to Ethiopia and grows in the wild and semi wild forests of Bench Maji zone in a similar agroecology to Korarima and coffee.
It is most often used in a cooking spice blend and also as a traditional medicine. Compare to its Asian equivalent, its test considered less hot, fruity and sweet with deeply aromatic and invigorating notes.
In terms of health benefits, long pepper has many reported advantages.
