Ethiopia Kawo Kamina

Yanni Georgalis established Moplaco in 1972 and was a third generation coffee exporter. Yanni was highly respected not only within Ethiopia but was well known and beloved by buyers of Ethiopian coffee around the world. He rightfully maintained a reputation for not only selling the highest quality coffee, but also for his integrity in all aspects of the business. Heleanna, Yianni’s daughter, comes from a long and established lineage of highly respected Ethiopian coffee exporters. Heleanna is courageous woman and has done an admirable job of continuing the legacy of her father’s at Moplaco while also carving out her own version of it in the years since her father’s passing.

Under her leadership, Moplaco is constantly evolving to produce ever-increasing quality coffee in spite of the complexity and challenges continually present within Ethiopia’s coffee production and auction systems. Born in East Harar as a young girl Heleanna was forced to flee her home in the face of civil war and so grew up in Europe, where she eventually established a successful career in finance. She neither imagined nor planned to return to Ethiopia or to follow the footsteps of her father but after the sudden passing of her father in 2008, Heleanna was at a crossroad: continue the legacy her father had meticulously built with almost no knowledge about the coffee business, or continue on the path she had created for herself within the world of finance.

We are very glad and lucky she chose coffee. True to her personality and way of approaching new challenges, Heleanna completely immersed herself in learning about roasting, cupping, agronomy (including the latest research and practices in natural processing) and the niche markets of specialty coffee all around the world. Though she admits that these challenges are extremely daunting
at times, Heleanna continues to trail blaze in specialty coffee.