TL;DR: This coffee brand film is part 3 of 3 short films I made for Ethio Gabana, a specialty coffee exporter founded in Ethiopia by Ethiopians. It's about Worku Beyenu, a farmer near Yirgacheffe who takes care of his family by growing boutique coffee. I shot it in Ethiopia in 2020.
I was fortunate enough to film Ethio Gabana's brand and story, and I traveled all over the country to do it. All 3 films are on my brand film and motion work page.
Who is Worku Beyenu?
Worku Beyenu is a coffee farmer near Yirgacheffe, in southern Ethiopia, who takes care of his family by growing boutique coffee. Worku processes his coffee both ways, washed and natural. I wrote about the difference in part 1 of the series, so check it out there. Ethio Gabana buys Worku's coffee and exports it.
What is it like to film a coffee farmer's family in Ethiopia?
Filming Worku Beyenu's family in Ethiopia was a highlight of my Ethio Gabana trip. They were kind, wise and welcoming. We filmed inside their house, at their farm, and around the community. We gathered quite the crowd wherever we went, which I got a kick out of.
This region of Ethiopia is breathtaking, and filming somewhere like that is always a treat.
What made Worku Beyenu wise?
I think Worku Beyenu is wise. He plans to pass his family's farm to his kids, and he wants them to run it in a new way. That farm has been in his family for generations. He wants his kids to bring new practices to it, make it more efficient and turn it into a better farm, so they can have a better life.
It's wise that Worku wants his kids to get there through new methods and innovation.
Knowing my morning cup may have started in this guy's backyard gives me a new appreciation for the process. It also gives me a desire to make decisions that help benefit Worku, his family and his community.
Who directs coffee brand films?
I directed all 3 Ethio Gabana brand films. I also wrote the scripts, shot them as DP, produced them and edited them. Ethio Gabana put all 3 to work across its website, social and marketing. My commercial case studies show more of that work.
Where can you watch the other Ethio Gabana brand films?
The Ethio Gabana series is 3 short films. This one, about Worku, is part 3. I shot part 1 of the Ethio Gabana series, about the coffee, in Yirgacheffe, and that post has my day-one story about a farm with nobody on it. Part 2, Coffee is Community, took me to the schools Ethio Gabana helps, where the kids made the shoot.
Can a brand film introduce the people behind your product?
Yes, a brand film can introduce the people behind your product. I made one for Ethio Gabana about Worku, and I'd like to make one about the people behind your brand.
Who's behind your brand? Tell me who they are and we can talk about how to put them on screen.