Burundi – Gatukuza Lot 13

Region: Gashikanwa Commune – Northern Ngozi

Producer: Therence Nduwayezu

Farmers: 1000 farmers from 8 neighboring hills

Altitude: 1658 MASL

Varietal: Bourbon

Process: Fully Washed and dried on raised beds

Notes: Brown Sugar, orange, plum, floral

100% Arabica

This coffee comes from a producer Therence Nduwayezu owner of Gatukuza Washing Station. He is a producing neighbor of Long Miles Coffee Project (farmers, producers and exporters). Long Miles and Osito Coffee (our export partners) have partnered to export this coffee to the United States.

2019 marked the year of big changes for Gatukuza: It was the first year they produced day lots. These changes obviously paid off as it also happened to be the first year their fully washed coffee won first place at Burundi’s annual Cup Of Excellence competition! This lot called 13 means that it was picked on the 13th day. This one stood out to us more than other lots that we tried. It is super sweet with hints of brown sugar, oranges, plum and a light floral accent.

Gatukuza washing station is named after the hill it’s built on. It is nestled in the Gashikanwa commune, in the northern province of Ngozi. The people who call Gatukuza home grow almost everything they love to eat- bananas, potatoes, beans, maize, sweet potatoes, peas- wrapping the hill in every imaginable green. 600 farmers from 8 neighboring hills deliver the cherries to this washing station.

When the washing station first opened, there were 250 traditional African raised tables. There are now 500 drying tables scattered across the washing station with the plan to add 300 more. Farmers will selectively hand pick and float their cherries at home before delivering them. The day’s bounty of cherries is carried by head or bicycle to reach the washing station where they are processed. There is one small pre-selection table and floating station where farmers will take their cherries when they reach the station and the quality of their cherries is checked again. For the fully-washed process, there are 2 cherry reception tanks. Parchment is kept here for 8 hours overnight. In the morning, water is added and the parchment is footed to help remove mucilage. It’s then taken to traditional African raised drying tables where it slowly dries for 14-21 days, depending on the rain. The farmer system is organized through a pre-registration before harvest season at the washing station, where farmers are given a unique code. Every time a farmer delivers, the washing station keeps a primary record of the amount and a carbon copy receipts is given to them. During farmers payments- which happened once in August this year- the farmers will bring their receipt to receive money for their cherries.