Burundi Murambi Hill

We're welcoming back an old favourite into the roastery. We've had coffee from the producers of Murambi Hill in Burundi before, and this year's lot once again comes from 124 women farmers in the Bujumbura region of the country.

The average Burundian coffee farmer cultivates less than one hectare, with most delivering their cherries to centralised washing stations where many lots are combined together. Tracing coffee to a single farmer is therefore tricky, which makes this Womens' Lot especially notable because we can list the names of every farmer who contributed (124 in total!).

Our sourcing partner Omwani worked closely with local company Migoti Coffee to devise and arrange for the creation of this special lot to encourage and empower women farmers in the region. The women who contributed were paid an incentive bonus of 50 cents per kilo on top of the usual price.

Fully washed and made up of the Red Bourbon variety, this coffee is delicate and sweet, fruity yet subtle with a citrus brightness.

Burundi is a small, landlocked country in Africa's Rift Valley, bordered by Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its coffee industry has long been in the shadows of these more prominent neighbours, but over the past few years Burundi has emerged as an up-and-coming speciality coffee producer.

Introduced by colonial Belgian occupiers in the 1930s, coffee was grown as a cash crop with exports sent back to Europe or to other colonies while Burundian farmers were forced to grow a certain number of coffee trees each. Upon gaining independence in 1962 the coffee industry was privatised and production increased until the deadly civil war from 1993-2005 displaced many people and heavily impacted harvests.

Since the war ended efforts have been made to improve coffee production and quality, with many new washing stations built and more investment from private companies and NGOs especially in the speciality sector.

The average Burundian coffee farmer cultivates less than one hectare, with most delivering their cherries to centralised washing stations where many lots are combined together.

Did you know?

• Because of Burundi's landlocked status, coffee must travel through neighbouring countries to even make it to port—the cost of which can sometimes exceed the cost of shipping that same coffee to Europe or the Americas by cargo ship.
• Today Burundi is the poorest country in the world, with much of its population relying on subsistence farming or work in agriculture. With over 600,000 smallholder farmers and upwards of 5 million people financially dependent on the industry, coffee is a key component of the country's economy.
• While the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda were thought by Ptolemy and other ancient geographers to be the source of the Nile, modern researchers believe that honour belongs to a small mountain stream in Burundi (although nobody can quite agree).

Our speciality coffees are 100% traceable and ethically sourced. We work direct with farmers, or through trusted partners, to bring you the best coffee from around the world.

Sourced in partnership with: Omwani and Migoti Coffee
Producer relationship length: 3 years