The story of the washing station’s owner, Tariku Kare, is one of the success that comes when hard work and perseverance collide with opportunity. Tariku was born in Bombe and, at 15 years old, began working as a cherry sorter for a local cooperative. He worked his way—first receiving a promotion to wash coffee in the channels, and then when a man from Awassa opened a washing station in Nansebo, he was tapped to manage. The market disruptions led that owner to bankruptcy so Tariku and 17 other workers at the washing station formed a company, opened a new washing—which Tariku managed. Later, he opened a new washing station by himself—this one, in Arsi—to supply coffee to the international market. Once that mill in Nansebo was stabilized and had enough producers contributing cherry, he returned to his hometown of Bombe and built a washing station there. At his sites, Tariku pays a premium over local prices for ripe red cherry and works hard to incentivize farmers to deliver cherry to his washing stations each year.