Burundi - Kibingo Oro

Origin: Burundi

Region: Kayanza, Kayanza

Process: Natural with Oro yeast 

Varieties: Bourbon rouge

Producer:  3,515 smallholders 

Washing Station: Kibingo

Altitude: 1700m - 1900m

Tasting Notes: Raspberry, strawberries, popping candy, milk chocolate

Kibingo washing station does an excellent job of sorting and processing high-quality cherries into delicious coffees. This natural lot is no exception. 

Kibingo washing station is located in Kayanza commune in northern Burundi. The station itself sits at 1893 meters above sea level. The elevation of farms on the surrounding hills that supply the washing station ranges from 1700 to 1900 meters above sea level.

Kibingo serves 3515 registered coffee producers, spread across 18 hills in the region. All producers registered with a Greenco washing station are organized into groups of 30 people, led by a farm leader. This leader serves as a spokesperson to facilitate communication and organization with the washing station.

The washing station is equipped with 10 fermentation tanks, 2 soaking tanks, and a drying field with 4 pre-drying tables and 165 drying tables. Kibingo can process 750,000 kg of cherries per day.

At the washing station, farmers can obtain organic fertilizer from composted coffee pulp. To promote farm renovation, producers can obtain subsidized, low-cost coffee seedlings at the washing station. Each station has its own nursery for this purpose.

The washing station participates in a number of projects to raise awareness and support farmers, including a cattle-raising project and a series of Farmer Hub projects focused on strengthening cooperatives and improving yields.

Despite the widespread cultivation of coffee in Burundi, each smallholder produces a relatively modest harvest. The average smallholder owns about 250 trees, usually in their garden. Each tree produces an average of 1.5 kilos of cherries, so the average producer sells about 200 to 300 kilos of cherries per year.

Quality assurance begins as soon as farmers deliver their cherries. All cherries are floated in small buckets as a first step to check quality. After floating, the highest-quality cherries are hand-sorted again to remove any damaged, underripe, or overripe cherries.

During harvest season, all coffee is selectively hand-picked. Most families own only 200 to 250 trees, and the harvest is almost entirely carried out by the family.

The cherries are placed in containers and Oro yeast, purchased from the French company Lalcafe, is added. The cherries are left to ferment in this environment for about 36 hours.

After fermentation, the cherries are moved to the drying tables, where they dry slowly for 2 to 3 weeks, during which time they are sorted and sifted repeatedly to ensure even drying.

The cherries are left to dry from sunrise to sunset and are covered with a sheet in the evening or when it rains. Moisture levels are carefully monitored, and any cherries with visual defects are removed.

Once dry, the coffee is then bagged and transported to the warehouse. The team of expert cuppers evaluates each lot (separated by station, day, and quality) in the lab.

Traceability by station, day, and quality is maintained throughout the process.