Burundi - Niyonzima

Burundi’s Muyinga Province is where our partner in origin ventured to establish a new washing station during the 2021 harvest season. It’s in a remote part of Burundi, at least a six-hour drive from the capital. And that’s if the rain hasn’t made the roads impassable! Currently producing only natural coffees, this washing station is now building a new wet mill for future fully washed coffees. Before the washing station opened, small farmers in the area faced a 20km journey to deliver their freshly harvested cherry to the nearest wet mill. With the hilly terrain, that was too far to travel in one day. Quality standards require same-day processing for harvested cherry. A wet mill nearby makes it possible to grow this specialty coffee we treasure, which features silky smooth notes of sweet, dried cherries and blackberries. While this lot is uniquely coffee harvested by Gashoho farmers, the total number of farmers contributing to Bavyeyi is now over 2,000. All participating farmers receive a second-payment incentive for delivering the highest quality, which is paid at the end of each harvest, and which varies from 20-40 cents per pound.