This blog post was written by Joy Maguvo, Long Miles Coffee Story Assistant.
Dorothée Sibomana is a coffee farmer from Gaharo Hill. In most countries, it’s more common to see men involved in coffee farming maintenance than women. However, Dorothée defies that norm!
While her husband works as a mechanic in Bujumbura, Dorothée manages and maintains ALL of their coffee, maize, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and bean crops. Together, they support the family. Dorothée’s husband manages expenses surrounding school items for their children and clothing for the family, and she manages the fees for school and all other household expenses.
Dorothée credits coffee farming as the main reason they are able to fully live their daily lives. “Our coffee plantations mean everything to us. It is because of those plantations I am able to provide for my family as well as send our daughter to college,” said Dorothée. Until recently, Dorothée and her family had two coffee plantations.
Due to the incredible harvest in 2022, she was able to purchase another plantation. She is very thankful for this new plantation, as many of her old trees were recently cut down due to a coffee tree pruning campaign to encourage regrowth. Along with this new coffee plantation and additional potato, bean, and maize crops, Dorothée is able to provide for her family.
Together, with her husband, they understand the importance of coffee farming and are continuously grateful for the opportunity it brings to their family and surrounding communities.
