This is a brilliant coffee from an astonishing group of women. We believe it to be the only women-owned coffee cooperative in Burundi, and their story is even more compelling than the delicious naturally processed coffee. We’re honored to share both with you!
The coffee itself is full-bodied with a gentle fruitiness, featuring notes of sweet, buttery blackberry crumble and delicate hawthorn. It's comforting and uplifting, especially when you learn the story behind it.
In Burundi, women are functionally prohibited from owning land due to patrilineal inheritance laws and the lack of government land codes. Women activists are hard at work advocating change, but patriarchal customs continue to dominate, especially in rural areas where community leaders enforce traditional laws.
More than a decade ago, Burundi native Marie-Annonciate began mobilizing other women in her community to gain access to land tenure. Her vision and drive gained support from a few local foundations, and the women lobbied the government for several years, but ultimately the plan failed and they were still unable to achieve the right to own land as women.
However, several individuals had noticed the Rama Group's determination and, in a surprise move, a local community leader decided to lease some land to the group. When the opportunity to finally take ownership of land arrived, the Rama Group women were ready. They had spent all of their lobbying years training with Greenco in Good Agricultural Practices and setting up a financial savings association for the group.
The Rama women's work paid off and they produced their first crop in 2017. Before this, they spent two years preparing the land and establishing a model plantation with healthy trees. Alongside coffee, the member farmers also grow beans, vegetables, and potatoes and keep livestock to produce organic fertilizer for the farm. Today, the group remains an active part of the community, advocating for women's rights and empowering its members through education, financial support, and solidarity. Their work is a beautiful example of the power of coffee to change people's lives, and we are so thrilled to support their endeavors.
To process their coffee, Rama members selectively handpick cherry and deliver it to Muguba washing station, where each lot maintains traceability through the process. Cherry is wet processed under constant supervision, first floated in small buckets to check quality, then hand-sorted to remove damaged or underripe cherries. The coffee is then transported directly to drying tables where it dries slowly for 3-4 weeks and undergoes another round of quality control. Cherry is covered with tarps during periods of rain, intense sun, and at night. After drying, the coffee is stored in warehouses before being taken to the dry mill and prepped for shipment.
Elevation: 1161-1700 Metres Above Sea Level
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Cup Score: 87
Price paid per kilo: £8.07
Process: Natural
