REGION: Kirundo
ALTITUDE: 1400 - 1650 MASL
VARIETAL: Bourbon
PROCESS: Natural

This naturally processed lot by Cafex/Sambicoffee is from smallholders growing on Kanyinya Hill in Kirundo province, northern Burundi. Cafex was launched by a Belgian-Burundian couple that wanted to combine the coffee production of their ancestral lands with sustainable development and a desire to improve the lives of the local population.

Cafex was launched by a Belgian-Burundian couple that wanted to combine the coffee production of their ancestral lands with sustainable development and a desire to improve the lives of the local population. Cafex has developed a profitable business model for all parties based on mutual participation with growers.

Ripe cherries are selected from daily pickings, and sun-dried on raised African beds for an average of 22 hours, being turned every 2 hours for the initial days for even fermentation, and covered during the midday heat to prevent sun damage. Once optimum moisture levels have been reached, the coffee is transported for milling at Ikawa Nziza’s drymill in Gashoho commune between the towns of Ngozi and Muyinga. The mill is designed to cater to small, traceable micro-lots. Its location in an environment with high altitude (1,730masl) and low humidity provides the optimal conditions to preserve the quality of the coffee and therefore demand higher prices for farmers. From there the processed coffee is handpicked, bagged in Grainpro and then trucked to Mombasa for shipment.