Sisay Amanuel

Works as Ethiopia Lab Manager for Nordic Approach, with responsibility for quality control and coffee evaluation at origin. Based in Addis Ababa, she has worked in Ethiopian coffee since 2015, with experience across exporting companies, sourcing support, logistics, and farmer collaboration.

Role and responsibility

Her work focuses on quality control, cupping, sample preparation, and maintaining consistency across coffees prepared for export. The role also includes collaboration with producers, exporters, and sourcing teams, helping ensure coffees meet both quality expectations and logistical requirements before shipment. She works closely with coffees throughout the preparation process, including physical evaluation, moisture and water activity analysis, and cup quality assessment.

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Approach and ways of working

A central part of her work is consistency — both in physical preparation and in the cup profile. She places strong emphasis on clean preparation, stable moisture readings, uniformity, and maintaining quality standards throughout the export process. Her approach is shaped by long-term experience working directly at origin, where weather, logistics, and harvest conditions can change significantly from year to year.

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Experience and background

Started working in coffee in 2015 after joining an exporting company in Ethiopia, where she was introduced to coffee quality control and roasting. Before joining Nordic Approach in 2018, she worked with Testi Coffee and later with the American importing company Ninety Plus. She has also worked independently with farmers and producers, supporting quality control, sourcing, and logistics. Across all roles, her work has centred around coffee quality and preparation at origin.

Industry exposure

Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with experience working across Ethiopian coffee-producing regions alongside exporters, producers, and international sourcing teams. Has also travelled internationally for coffee-related work and collaboration.

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Perspective

Highlights that coffee is an agricultural product that naturally changes from year to year depending on weather and growing conditions. Bean size, appearance, and cup profile may vary between harvests, even when quality remains high. When evaluating coffees, she focuses particularly on consistency in the cup, uniform colour, moisture stability, and overall clean preparation. She also emphasises that coffee quality is affected by many external factors beyond the control of producers alone, including climate and market conditions.
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Education & Certifications

Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and is a certified cupper through the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority.

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