BURUNDI | Kibingo | Bourbon | Natural

Quick Facts

About This Bean

<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW141354807 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW141354807 BCX0"><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0">At PMC, we love coffees from Burundi. This small and often overlooked country </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0">doesn't</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"> have the production power of its East African neighbors, but coffee is tied into the fabric of everyday life. Coffee production in Burundi is fueled by over 600,000 smallholders, and their income usually supports the entire family. To put that into perspective, the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0">whole population</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"> of Burundi is just under </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0">11 million people</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0">, meaning smallholder producers and their families make up almost 50% of Burundi's entire population. </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW141354807 BCX0" data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559740":240}'> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW141354807 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW141354807 BCX0"><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0">We first visited Burundi back in 2019, when our Green Buyers connected with </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW141354807 BCX0">Greenco</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"> – a company that manages Central Washing Stations (CWS) throughout the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW141354807 BCX0">Kayanza</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"> region.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW141354807 BCX0" data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559740":240}'> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW141354807 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW141354807 BCX0"><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW141354807 BCX0">Greenco</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0">works with young agronomy graduates to provide farmer training and manage their washing stations. In Burundi, the national youth unemployment rate is almost 50% - by working specifically with young graduates, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW141354807 BCX0">Greenco</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"> are helping make lasting socio-economic change, as well as </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0">utilizing</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"> a tech-savvy workforce, to simplify the flow of information between </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW141354807 BCX0">Greenco</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"> and their washing stations. </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW141354807 BCX0" data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559740":240}'> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW141354807 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW141354807 BCX0"><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW141354807 BCX0">Kibingo</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"> CWS serves 1,739 coffee growers spread out over the surrounding hills. Producers registered at the washing station are organized into groups of 30 people, headed by a farm leader. This leader acts as a spokesperson to </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0">facilitate</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW141354807 BCX0"> communication and organization with the CWS. The CWS participates in several farmer outreach and support projects including a livestock rearing project, and a range of Farmer Hub projects centered on strengthening cooperatives and improving yields.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW141354807 BCX0" data-ccp-props='{"201341983":0,"335559740":240}'> </span></p> </div>