We are longtime fans of this coffee at Driftaway - it's our sixth year roasting it since our start in 2014! This is a coffee grown in the hills of the Muramvya region of western Burundi, and processed using the washed method at the Buhorwa washing station, one of the highest altitude washing stations in all of Burundi. The farmers living in the community around the town of Bukeye sell their coffee to the Buhorwa washing station, and this year, 550 farmers in the community contributed to this lot of coffee. Once the coffee is brought to the Buhorwa washing station, it transforms from being a fruit into the dried seed that we roast.

According to our importer partner Crop to Cup, no other country excels in the smallholder farmer context like Burundi. This tiny country, which shared borders with Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, has many smallholder farmers, some producing coffee on such a small scale that they make more income from their dairy cow in a day than they do in a year from coffee. This of course carries its risks (when coffee is an afterthought), but, with the proper partners and washing stations in place, the organization and quality control bears unique, delicious coffees.

For decades Burundi coffee has suffered due to lack of soil health, partly due to historical influences like colonial regulations requiring tree planting too close together, and partly due to a lack of complete training in good agricultural practices. Tree health can be so poor here that, almost without fail, the productivity of the nation’s coffee sector swings drastically from year to year (with dire consequences for annual farmer income and national GDP). During the 2019 harvest, for example, some suppliers reported their volumes down 80% from year prior. And harvests for 2020 were down another 50% from there, meaning that there was a shortage in the variety of micro-lots and processes.

However, Crop to Cup has had a relationship on the ground with the Burhorwa washing station since 2010, and they are faithfully standing behind their commitment to the community around Buhorwa. Good thing for us, as we get to roast this coffee for the sixth time!