BURUNDI ​GAHAHE NATURAL

General Information

Origin: Burundi
Region: Kayanza
Commune: Kayanza
Washing Station: Gahahe
Cultivars: 100% Red Bourbon
Altitude: 1805 masl
Process: Natural
Harvest: April - June 2019
Grade: NAT15+
Warehouse: Barcelona, Budapest & Santiago
Packaging: 60 Kg w/ GrainPro
Score: 87+
Notes: Raspberry, melon, pineapple, lavender
Ikawa profile: http://bit.ly/2M3uMa7
Preparation: Both, Espresso and filter

TRACEABILITY

Gahahe was built in 1989 in the commune of Kayanza, province of Kayanza, and is located at an altitude of 1,805 masl. The name 'Gahahe' comes from the Igihahe trees that were once found in this region. The branches of these trees resemble cacti and grow in round shape, so they are more commonly known as the "candelabra tree." Due to the amount of these type of trees in this region, the Kirundi's phrase "kubavomere batumisha" was used to describe the land, which means: "always covered in green."

This station receives cherries from more than 1250 local coffee farmers distributed in 16 neighboring hills. The washing station is equipped with 10 fermentation tanks, 4 cherry selection tables, 2 soaking tanks, a drying area with 180 african beds and 18 shaded pre-drying beds. During the harvest season, Gahahe has the capacity to process more than 600 tons of coffee.

Gahahe also participates in a series of support projects for coffee growers, which include a project to donate goats to families, train and strengthen cooperatives and distribute fertilizers and young coffee trees for replanting.

HISTORY OF COFFEE IN BURUNDI

Coffee arrived in Burundi during the 1930s with the Belgian colonial government. The Belgian government, which oversaw and administered the twin territory of Rwanda-Urundi between 1922 and 1962, made coffee cultivation mandatory during this period. When the Belgian government withdrew, many coffee growers stopped caring for their trees because it was no longer mandatory. However, many also saw the economic advantages of continuing to grow coffee, and the industry became the center of Burundi's national economy.

The coffee industry in Burundi remained managed by the public sector until the beginning of the 21st century, when the local government privatized some elements of the coffee production chain, such as dry mills and washing stations. As a result of this relatively recent change in conjunction with the country's political instability, today, there are very few foreign companies involved in the coffee sector in Burundi.

Currently, the coffee industry in Burundi is driven by about 2 million small coffee farmers who produce more than 80% of the country's total coffee export. To put this number in perspective, consider that the total population of Burundi is only slightly less than 11 million people, so these small coffee farmers represent almost a fifth of the total population.

All coffee trees in Burundi are Arabica. Although it was tried to introduce Robusta with the establishment of a large plantation. "Fortunately," this plantation was destroyed during a civil war and riots at the end of the last century.​

CULTIVATION

Almost all coffee in Burundi are of Bourbon variety, which is strictly controlled by the government for quality reasons. Due to the increasingly small size of coffee farms, aged coffee trees are a very important problem in Burundi. Many coffee growers have coffee trees with more than 50 years, but with small land to cultivate, it is difficult to justify that they are completely out production during the 3-4 years that it will take new plantations to start producing.

Despite the ubiquity of coffee cultivation in Burundi, low productivity is a predominant tendency. The small producer on average has approximately 300 trees, usually in their backyards. Each tree produces 1.5 kilos of cherry, so the producer sells around 400-500 kilos of cherry per harvest, and this generates an annual salary of no more than USD 100 (See the video below for more information about it).​

BURUNDI COFFEE FARMERS SALARY​

GAHAHE CWS LOCATION

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