Burundi: Murambi Hill Coffee (Women's Lot) - Single Origin - 100% Arabica

Country: Burundi
Farmer: Migoti Coffee Company
Elevation: 1700-1900 MASL
Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Washed
Tasting Notes: Plum, Caramel and Blackcurrant.
Region: Bujumbura

 We’re delighted to return to Burundi and the Migoti Coffee co-operative. Having this coffee back in the roastery is very exciting after its success last year.

We’re working again with Omwani Coffee who partner the Migoti Coffee Company in Bujumbura, Burundi directly to support Burundian Coffee growers and their families.

This offering comes from the Murambi hill women's lot. Migoti have been focussing on female only produced coffees in this area and pay the women a bonus on top of their usual wages. Their goal is to incentivise and empower the women to grow and sell their own coffee in the region and we are delighted to support them in their mission as this is a hugely important part of our philosophy here at Rinaldo's, being an all female roastery and all.

Migoti Coffee Company:

Smallholder farmers grow their cherries in the mountains overlooking Lake Tanganyika. They then bring their harvests to the Migoti washing station on Migoti Hill. These harvests continue to receive excellent cupping scores, frequently placing  as some of the best specialty coffees coming out of Burundi.

Burundi is among the smallest coffee producing countries in East Africa, it is endowed with ideal conditions for coffee production with elevations of 1500-2000 MASL and abundant rainfall. Arabica, specifically the Bourbon varietal, represents nearly all of Burundi's coffee production.

The Migoti Hill washing station is operated by a local team of ten permanent staff and over 250 temporary workers who are employed during the coffee season from March to June. They are responsible for sharing knowledge with coffee farmers, receiving and selecting coffee cherries, processing, storing, milling and preparing the final green coffee for export.

The majority of the temporary staff are women who work mainly on the raised drying tables, regularly turning the coffee as it dries and removing defective beans that compromise the quality. Migoti Coffee Company also assist farmers through ongoing education to prune and properly care for coffee trees, intercrop, plant shade trees, utilise green fertilisers and stabilise soils. The expectation is that by following best farming practices the farmers can increase their yields from coffee trees five to ten fold.