A minibus ride.
A different life.

This is my complete personal account from 2020; the sensations described are subjective. “Bunno” is the name we encountered with our Hamer hosts; names and practices vary between communities. Statements about waste express the project’s original motivation, not a current measurement.

IT ALL BEGAN IN A TINY VILLAGE IN AFRICA…

It was December 2020, during our journey through Africa. My partner and I were travelling in southern Ethiopia, in a part of the Omo Valley especially known for its communities and traditions.

That day we took a minibus to Turmi, a small town far from the big cities and modernisation. We wanted to encounter traditional Africa and cultures still largely untouched by so-called “civilisation”.

As always, we sat in the back seats, watching nature pass by outside.

After a while the minibus stopped, in the middle of nowhere! A man boarded wearing the clothing and ornaments typical of the Hamer pastoral community. Nothing unusual there, so the bus continued towards Turmi.

When the passengers were asked to pay, everyone did except the Hamer man: he had no money!

After some discussion, a few people became impatient. It was clear that he had no way to pay. We were about 20 km from Turmi, so I decided to do something: I would pay his fare!

That decision changed my life forever: this is how it all began…

…when I paid his ticket, he was so incredibly happy that he almost cried. He wanted to express his gratitude, but he spoke only his community’s language and I only English: we could not communicate in words!

Nevertheless, when we reached Turmi, Colle Schari — that is his name — invited us to his home! I was so curious that I thought: “I will never have an opportunity like this again.” We accepted!

We walked with our backpacks, first at sunset and then by moonlight. There was no artificial light as far as we could see: the atmosphere was quiet and magical, like a fairy tale. After an hour’s walk, we reached his village. I was extremely tired, yet somehow energised!

His wife, Colle Anna, welcomed us with a warm “Paìia”, which means “hello” and “beautiful” in the local language. She offered us local food. We played briefly with the very curious children, then everyone went to sleep: we in our tent; they on a cowhide spread on the ground, beneath the open sky.

The next morning

Every morning the Hamer rise with daylight. The family gathers inside the hut beside the fire: mornings in Ethiopia are surprisingly cold. Colle Anna had prepared a hot drink they call “BUNNO”, boiling it over the fire in a clay pot.

The men and young people drink it every morning before walking for kilometres with their livestock.

One by one, they received Bunno from Colle Anna in a beautiful calabash. My partner and I received one too and tasted it…

That was the moment I discovered wonderful CASCARA!

Bunno is the Ethiopian name for cascara!

To be honest, I was surprised at first! The Hamer call coffee “BUNNA” and cascara “BUNNO”: almost the same word. I had expected coffee. Instead, I enjoyed a combination of aromas and flavours I had never known. It was a unique discovery, belonging neither to coffee nor to tea: perhaps somewhere between the two! What amazed me was that the flavour did not disappear immediately, but kept unfolding.

Over the following days, the Hamer offered me cascara — BUNNO — several times. Afterwards, I noticed that I felt more awake and lively.

I understood why they drink it every day:

It gives long-lasting energy!

If you travel to Turmi and want to visit Colle Schari and his family, I recorded the route from Turmi to their home on Wikiloc. You will find it under “From the village of Colle Schari to Turmi”.

The birth of DIANAE

By chance, we discovered

that the coffee industry wastes a huge amount of valuable food.

That is cascara: the FRUIT of coffee.

Incredibly, much of it is not used even in Ethiopia, in Africa.

That is how DIANAE began

Cascara can be consumed and valued, becoming an additional source of income for many coffee growers.

ZERO FOOD WASTE in the coffee industry.

That is our goal.

Growing, together.

With a little madness

We are crazy enough to believe that, together, WE CAN SOLVE these problems.

That is why we invite you to join us. Here in SWITZERLAND, we develop new, 100% natural products with a unique taste and pleasant energy. Only TOGETHER with you can we make it happen!

Join us and ENJOY the power of natural energy!

Let’s awaken your vitality

Your passion for living with energy meets our enthusiasm for cascara, the coffee fruit. Discover how its vitality can accompany your day.

Choosing our cascara drinks means valuing this special gift of nature and awakening your vitality.

Wikiloc · From the village of Colle Schari to Turmi

Loose cascara, ground cascara and Lemon: preparations made by DIANAE, each with its own story and character.