History & Origins
Ninety Plus Coffee was founded in 2006 by Joseph Brodsky, a former financial industry professional who relocated to Ethiopia to work directly with coffee at its source. Brodsky’s original model centered on sourcing and processing exceptional Ethiopian lots and marketing them under the Ninety Plus label—named for the scores such coffees routinely achieved on the Specialty Coffee Association’s 100-point scale.
The defining step came in 2012 when Ninety Plus established Gesha Village Coffee Estate in the Bench Maji zone of southwestern Ethiopia, within the broader Kaffa forest zone—the genetic birthplace of Coffea arabica. The site was chosen deliberately: wild Gesha (the original spelling, distinct from the Geisha designation used in Panama) varieties had been identified growing in these forests, and Brodsky secured a lease on approximately 471 hectares of land to cultivate them in their native habitat rather than as transplants thousands of kilometers from their origin.
The project represented an unusual convergence of conservation and ultra-premium production. By establishing the estate within the Gesha forest corridor, Ninety Plus positioned itself as both a commercial producer and a custodian of wild coffee biodiversity. Early lots—branded under names like Nekisse and Kemgin—quickly became reference points in the global specialty market, regularly appearing at auctions where they commanded prices among the highest recorded for green coffee.
Terroir & Growing Conditions
The Gesha Village estate sits at elevations between 1,800 and 2,200 meters in the Bench Maji zone, a region characterized by dense montane forest, high rainfall, and pronounced diurnal temperature variation. Soils are deep, dark, and rich in organic matter accumulated from centuries of forest cover—conditions that produce coffee with exceptional density and concentrated flavor development.
The estate spans multiple distinct growing blocks, each named and tracked as separate lots. Four primary cultivar populations are maintained: Gesha 1931 (descended from the accession collected in Gesha town in 1931 and later sent to the Lyamungu research station in Tanzania before reaching Panama), Illubabor Forest (from the adjacent Illubabor zone), Gori Gesha (a local population identified on the estate itself), and various wild selections from the surrounding forest. The deliberate separation of these genetically distinct populations allows for lot-level traceability and comparative cupping across genotypes.
Shade canopy is provided by indigenous forest trees retained within and around the growing blocks. Annual rainfall in the region exceeds 1,800mm, and the high elevation keeps average temperatures between 15°C and 25°C, slowing cherry development and allowing extended sugar accumulation. The combination of genetic material, elevation, and forest microclimate produces a baseline cup quality that is difficult to replicate in transplanted Geisha cultivation elsewhere.
Processing & Production
Ninety Plus operates its own processing infrastructure on the estate, including raised drying beds and fermentation tanks designed to handle both washed and natural lots. The separation of cultivar populations extends through processing: each named lot—Nekisse, Kemgin, and others—corresponds to a specific block, picking date range, and processing protocol, maintaining traceability from tree to export.
Washed lots undergo pulping followed by extended fermentation in clean water, with fermentation times adjusted by season and ambient temperature. Natural lots are dried as whole cherry on raised African beds, turned regularly, and dried slowly over 15 to 30 days depending on weather conditions. The estate has also experimented with carbonic maceration protocols—sealing whole cherries in CO2-rich tanks before drying—to accentuate specific aromatic compounds.
Selective hand-picking is enforced across all blocks, with pickers returning to each tree multiple times per season as individual cherries reach peak ripeness. This practice is labor-intensive but essential given the premium prices the lots command. Dry milling and final grading are conducted off-estate before export. Ninety Plus sells primarily through its own direct channels, including an online platform and allocations to high-profile roasters globally.
Cup Profile & Tasting Notes
Gesha Village lots are among the most florally expressive coffees produced anywhere in the world. The Gesha 1931 washed expression is the benchmark: jasmine and bergamot dominate the aromatics, followed by white peach, lychee, and a delicate white tea finish. Body is light to medium with a tea-like transparency and silky texture. Acidity is bright but fine-grained, integrating into the cup rather than leading it.
Natural processed lots from Gesha Village—particularly Nekisse—shift the profile toward tropical fruit: mango, papaya, and ripe apricot are common descriptors, layered over a caramel base. Kemgin naturals show pronounced stone fruit and a winey, fermented complexity that remains clean rather than overripe. Scores from prominent competition and review platforms consistently range from 92 to 96 points.
The Illubabor Forest and Gori Gesha lots tend toward earthier, more savory expressions relative to the Gesha 1931, reflecting the genetic divergence between populations. Across all lots, the defining characteristic is aromatic lift—a quality that traces directly to the wild genetic material, high elevation, and the estate’s position in coffee’s geographic center of origin.