This is a delicious example of a washed Burundi coffee. Clean and balanced with a quick soft acidity, juicy body and big round sweetness. Fruity layers of dried apricot and dates are balanced beautifully with big round caramel, fudge and brown sugar sweetness.

In 2015, coffee as an agricultural product had been all but discarded in Burundi, due in large part to the 12 year civil war that lasted from 1993-2003, where farms were either neglected or destroyed. However, with the country settling back down into a time of tentative peace, local engineers Dan Brose and Pontien Ntunzwenimana saw an opportunity to make a difference in the community where Pontien was born and raised. Their ambition was to earn income by revisiting the abandoned export of coffee, with a vision to connect local coffee farmers with international buyers and roasters through quality coffee processing and transparent supply chains. With Dan on the business end of things and Pontien constructing a new washing station, Migoti pulled off its first year of coffee production in 2016. Together they have built two established washing stations nestled amongst the mountains of the Bujumbura Rural Province

The two washing stations, including the primary Migoti Mountain station where this lot is produced, process coffee cherries brought in by over 1,200 smallholder farmers from the surrounding highlands. The washing stations employ a combination of ten permanent staff and over 250 seasonal workers, primarily women, who manage the sorting, drying, and quality control processes. Migoti Coffee has steadily increased its output and quality, consistently receiving high cupping scores that place it among the top specialty coffees from Burundi. The company prioritizes sustainable practices, educating farmers on techniques to enhance crop quality and yield. These include pruning, intercropping, and soil management. Migoti also provides coffee seedlings to local farmers, distributing approximately 30,000 per year since 2019. This initiative has increased both the quantity of coffee produced and the income for participating farmers, which has grown from 310 farmers in 2019 to 1,236 in 2023.

Migoti Coffee is dedicated to sustainable farming practices that address the biennial yield cycle of coffee in Burundi, a pattern where yearly yields alternate between high and low. The company promotes reforestation with shade trees, soil stabilisation, and mulching to enhance soil health and mitigate the effects of erratic rainfall and climate variability. Although climate change has not yet had a significant impact on coffee production at Migoti's high-altitude farms, the company is actively monitoring potential future threats. Research in the region suggests a likelihood of longer dry seasons, landslides, and shifting rainfall patterns, which Migoti aims to adapt to with resilient farming practices.

In 2023, Migoti introduced a micro-financing program that provides small loans to farmers, allowing them to invest in essential items without resorting to cash advances from independent coffee traders. This initiative supports farmers in maintaining financial stability throughout the year, reducing reliance on predatory lending practices that often undervalue the farmers' coffee. In addition to coffee, Migoti Coffee has launched an essential oils initiative. The company provides farmers with seeds for crops such as lemongrass, eucalyptus, and artemisia, which can be grown alongside coffee plants. These crops provide an additional income stream, as Migoti buys the harvested plants and processes them into essential oils. This diversification helps stabilize farmers’ incomes between coffee harvest seasons and increases the resilience of their farming practices.

In 2024, Migoti Coffee began constructing a water reservoir and pipe network near the Kinama washing station to address local water access issues. The project includes a 50 cubic meter reservoir and a hydraulic ram pump to transport water uphill to supply nearby communities. The initiative, expected to serve over 4,800 residents, will provide clean drinking water to local families, reduce waterborne diseases, and support better educational outcomes for girls who typically shoulder the responsibility of fetching water.

Time has brought these efforts to fruition, and these days Migoti produce over 300 tons of coffee for export each year, providing a stable infrastructure for the entire community around them.

Omwani have been working with Migoti since 2020, and we have an incredible amount of respect for the way Migoti run and continue to build their operations. Not only are they professional and well organised, but they’re also open and honest with information, not to mention dedicated to supporting and improving the lives of the farmers they work with.

This is the first coffee we have purchased through Omwani, but we love it and it and it won’t be the last!