Burundi – Kibingo Natural

Description

The Story

This coffee comes to us via the importer Sucafina, a multi-national with a heavy presence in East Africa. More specifically though, it is the work of the exporter, Greenco, that is of interest. Greenco was founded in 2015 and works exclusively in Burundi. They work with 44,000 farmers, with a goal of increasing quality and create a more sustainable income for these producers.

Kibingo is the name of the washing station where this coffee comes from. It is the central collection hub for 3,515 coffee farmers in the surrounding hills. The majority of these farmers will be subsistence farmers, with coffee as the primary cash crop (average production is about 300 pounds of green coffee per farmer). This is the standard model in East Africa, and so improved pricing models can have large benefits for these producers.

Recent work being done by importers and exporters that are focusing on the African Great Lakes region (Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda), has led to rapid increases in the quality of coffee coming out of these countries. These improvements in quality will lead to gains in market access and greater investment in the region.