Tag: coffee origin

  • Long Miles Coffee’s Post-Harvest Update: news from the coffee farm, field and cupping lab

    Long Miles Coffee’s Post-Harvest Update: news from the coffee farm, field and cupping lab

    From the Farm

    collected and translated by Joy Mavugo in conjunction with Robyn-Leigh van Laren from the Long Miles Story Team

    Green coffee cherries on a coffee tree

    The first of September usually means the end of the dry season in Burundi, and the start of the country’s second rainy season. During this time of the year, many communities of farmers usually shift their focus from coffee to other subsistence crops (such as maize, potatoes and cassava) that need to be planted by the time rain starts to fall.

    “We have to hurry and finish everything before September because once the rain starts, there will be many things to do. You can’t work on activities meant for the dry season during the rainy season. My husband is supposed to be mulching and fertilizing the soil of our coffee plantations while I plant other crops, but he’s still busy pruning our coffee trees. I’ve had to stop what I was doing to help him look for mulch.”

    Jeannette Ngendakumana is a coffee farmer from Gaharo hill

    Meanwhile, some farmers are still focused on picking coffee cherries. Due to the irregular weather patterns that Burundi experienced this year, the country’s coffee harvest came to an end while many farmers still had unripened cherries on their coffee trees.

    “Harvest might be over at the washing stations, but it’s still going on at home. There are many cherries that need to be picked. We are still in the dry season, and the coffee trees aren’t getting much water. The small amount of water they do get is being fed straight to the cherries that are still ripening and haven’t been picked. These leftover cherries also cause the number of antestia bugs found in the coffee farmers to multiply. The only way to prevent this is by picking them. Many farmers can’t accept losing so many cherries after harvest, so they continue to process coffee at home: picking, sorting cherries, hand-pulping and then drying. Coffee traders have permission from the government to buy parchment coffee at a fixed price from coffee farmers. I still have one hundred kilograms of coffee to sell.”

     Joseph Haragasika is a coffee farmer from Gaharo hill.

    From the Field

    written by Seth Nduwayo, Quality Control Manager for Long Miles Coffee

    Sack of parchment coffee on the ground

    Previously I talked about how our Lab in Bujumbura was pushing hard to have a lot of samples processed and dispatched at that time to David (in the States where the main Lab is based, because of the threat by COVID-19). Because of the hard work of the Buja Lab Team, our process chain was always active. And today, I am grateful for the step where we are at and I can congratulate Mr. Zebron (Long Miles Coffee Lab Assistant) for having delivered most of our expectations. This week, intensive Lab work was done. All the urgent samples were processed and dispatched to the Lab in the States. This is a good thing as lot construction becomes quicker and milling plans become definite. We can expect to see the activities moving in a faster way, from the beginning of September.

    Liar or dreamer, I ignore what you will think of me. Having a container ready in August was done, as promised. But shipping should take place early September, which is good as the earliest, so far, we have been able to make is early October. The reason is that export paperwork is not a quick-do-it-yourself kit. In fact, when we had everything ready, an official in charge of issuing the grades confirmation certificate (taxation report) was out for three consecutive days. When he was supposed to come back, coincidentally it was a day off as it was an election day (for hill leaders). Even for other signatories, we observe similar delays and we never stop learning!

    From the Lab

    written by David Stallings, Roaster Relations for Long Miles Coffee

    Person pouring water from a kettle into cups of coffee
    Image taken by Julianna Elizabeth Herr

    Echoing Seth’s message, the busy days in the lab continue. It has been a pleasure to see much of the work from the last two months come to a point of fruition in the form of final, milled lot samples. The milling quality has been excellent and the coffees are so balanced and clean. If you have not received samples yet and are expecting them, do not fret. Our focus at this time is on moving lots through the process as quickly as possible, in order to allow milling and export to happen as quickly as possible. In the end, this will serve everyone in the supply chain.

    I so greatly appreciate the tone of optimism and enthusiasm in Seth’s section of this week’s newsletter. The entire team has been pushing hard to move coffee as quickly as possible. Hours after Seth emailed me the copy for his section, however, we did run into what is currently a concerning situation. The dry mill which is contracted to mill and clean our coffees this year has been on strike. The strike concerns the mill owner and specifics surrounding former-employee pensions. In ever humbling Burundi coffee sector fashion, we are monitoring the situation patiently. A report I received just minutes ago relayed that the situation will hopefully be resolved early next week. That said, there is no way to know at this time. I will continue to use this space in these emails to update all of you concerning the situation.

    As always, if you feel that you have not been heard regarding your needs for this season, please reach out to me!

    Links worth checking out

  • HOW IS COVID-19 AFFECTING BURUNDI COFFEE?

    HOW IS COVID-19 AFFECTING BURUNDI COFFEE?

    Burundian coffee farmer walking on a dirt path

    We can’t help but think of COVID-19. It’s a very real part of everyday life that has affected everything, from how we operate as a team to how we’re producing coffee. As we opened our coffee harvest season and began to operate our washing stations, we had to think about how to go about producing coffee in a new way. How could we continue to produce coffee without putting people’s lives at risk? In Burundi, social distancing isn’t enforced and up until now, hasn’t officially been encouraged.

    Thinking through how we can keep everyone safe is a big part of how we’re producing coffee this year. The main concern is for coffee farmers. The majority of the farming community are extremely vulnerable and an older population. We’ve had to build protocols for our washing stations and farmers that seem as foreign to our team as they did to us when we first heard them. Do you remember the first time you heard that we needed to socially distance ourselves and stand 6 feet apart? It’s an incredible challenge to tell people to stand apart at the washing stations when hundreds of farmers are delivering their coffee cherries at the same time. Coffee production is about space in so many ways. Usually everyone- from neighboring farmers bringing in coffee cherries to our team at the washing station- stands right on top of each other, selecting and sorting through coffee together. Lifting heavy bags of coffee cherries from one corner of the washing station to another. Producing coffee is a high touch, close proximity job. How do we change that? Culturally, it’s really difficult.

    “We’ve had to build protocols for our washing stations and farmers that seem as foreign to our team as they did to us when we first heard them. Do you remember the first time you heard that we needed to socially distance ourselves and stand 6 feet apart?”

    With 94 reported cases and 1 recorded death (as of 12 June 2020), COVID-19 is affecting Burundi. But…life has in some ways carried on as per usual, which has left many people feeling confused. There has been no lockdown or shutdown, no limitation on movement or travel within the country. Businesses and individuals alike are trying to follow what the country’s Ministry of Health and government is saying about COVID-19, but the reality is that there is extremely limited testing available and limited ability for the health care sector to handle a respiratory disease like this one.

    In other ways, life has been turned on its head. All of the land borders have closed. The airport is shut until further notice- there are no commercial flights coming in or going out. Trading between our neighbors, both close and far, has been affected. No one is telling us, coffee producers, what to do or how to keep our team safe. That’s up to us. We’re having to think through: how do we operate to maintain safety for everyone involved while also respecting what the government is saying? We have to keep healthy as we keep producing coffee. We can’t stop the fact that the cherries are ripening and that harvest is happening. If roasters decide not to buy or roast coffee, we won’t stop producing it.

    Burundian coffee cherries ripening on the tree

    “No one is telling us, coffee producers, what to do or how to keep people safe. That’s up to us.”

    In Burundi, coffee farming is ‘essential work’. Coffee makes up 70% of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. As farmers, it doesn’t matter that there’s a pandemic- you still have to harvest. This is also an election year in Burundi. As a country, we had to be able to stand on our own two feet and pay for the election, which is very costly. There are no fall backs. There is no health care or wealth care solution. Coffee is how most people live, and they can’t go a year without producing it. Burundi is also coming off the backend of the worst coffee harvests in decades. Last year (2019), the country as a whole produced just 20% of its usual coffee crop. We have to produce coffee as a country, as coffee producers, as families and individuals- we can’t afford not to. It will be a challenging year, but our vision to produce quality coffee and care for the farmers who grow it doesn’t change.

    “There are no fall backs. There is no health care or wealth care solution. Coffee is how most people live, and they can’t go a year without producing it.”

    Normal has gone out the window. Whatever the new normal is, we’ll just have to figure it out as it unfolds. We’ll still be producing coffee. We produced last year, we’ll produce this year, and we’ll be producing next year. We’ll still be planting indigenous trees, endeavoring alongside our neighbors and coffee farming families to renew the health of the soil on their land. Our roasting partners won’t be visiting our part of the world anytime soon. We’re thinking now more than ever: how can we partner with and support our specialty coffee community?

    Whether it’s Africa, USA, Europe, Australia, Asia, wherever- we’re all experiencing this. We’re looking forward to figuring things out together, once this does pass. To our friends the world over, we’re with you.

    Thank you to our friends at Onyx Coffee for starting this conversation.

  • BURUNDIANS AND COFFEE

    BURUNDIANS AND COFFEE

    Burundi Coffee, Burundi, Long Miles Coffee Project, East Africa

    Like in any culture, there are no absolutes that apply to everyone. There are many Burundians who do drink coffee, but generally they are not the farmers who grow it. Whenever we ask coffee farmers if they’ve tasted their own coffee, the response is the same almost every time:

    “NO, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO.”

    Coffee trees grow almost everywhere in Burundi’s higher elevation ranges, but coffee beans are hard to find outside of niche markets in the capitol city. The coffee cherries are too valuable for most farmers to keep and dry for home consumption, so the coffee crop goes to a washing station where it can make cash on the kilogram. It’s a common daily ritual for farmers to drink a glass of fresh milk or a thermos of hot tea, but almost never coffee. This might be because when Burundi was a Belgian colony, Burundians were forced to grow at least 50 coffee trees but never had the opportunity to drink it. 

    Coffee arrived in Burundi with the Belgians in the 192o’s. Growing coffee wasn’t a choice for Burundians from 1933 until Belgian rule fell away in 1962. When it did, many farmers ripped out their coffee trees, choosing instead to plant subsistence crops like bananas or cassava. Those who kept their coffee trees did so with little enthusiasm for coffee itself, having seen very little compensation for their efforts under Belgian rule. War, political uprising, a monarchy, democracy, and global warming have followed in the decades since. It has only been since the early 2000’s that producing specialty coffee has become a focus in Burundi. With such a turbulent past, it’s no wonder that farmers have had little opportunity to taste their own coffee. We wanted to change that for a farming couple named Philippe and Sabine.

    Philippe and Sabine live on a piece of land tucked underneath Gitwe hill, a stone’s throw away from Heza. They grow just shy of 500 coffee trees in between a sea of tea plants and banana trees on a piece of land inherited from Philippe’s father- a coffee farmer before them. 

    Have you ever tasted your coffee?

    “Never.” 

    What do you think it tastes like?

    “It must be nice, otherwise you wouldn’t ask us to keep growing it.”

    How do you feel about learning how to make coffee today?

    “Excited. When we have cherries again, we’ll be able to make it ourselves at home.”

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    Burundi coffee, Burundi, Long Miles Coffee Project, East Africa

    Burundi Coffee, Burundi, Long Miles Coffee Project, East Africa

    How does it taste?

    “It needs sugar.”

    (after adding milk and sugar)

    It’s so good! It’s delicious.

    It was hard work brewing coffee with Philippe and Sabine in the hills where it’s grown. There are coffee farmers the world over who spend their days caring for this precious crop they might never get the chance to taste. It makes one realise that it’s a privilege to be able to buy, brew and drink coffee so easily in other parts of the world every day.

  • A HARVEST ROUNDUP

    A HARVEST ROUNDUP

    Heading into the 2019 harvest, the mantra amongst our team was a seemingly simple one: get our first container of coffee out of the country by the end of August. By doing this we would be setting a veritable export record in Burundi; we would also make a Long Miles best. While we did not hit our goal, we did load our first container of coffee, destined for the West Coast of the United States, on September 9th. This was the earliest we have ever loaded a container and we were thrilled.

    As the ever humbling gods of global logistics would have it, our container was not destined to move with the alacrity with which we would have hoped – or, even, could reasonably expect. In fact, our first USA-bound container landed in the States just two weeks before the second, which was loaded in Burundi on November 7th – nearly two full months after the first box was loaded. An unexpected transshipment in a congested Mombasa port caused delays in berthing the vessel. This, combined with the small print which renders our pleas for action completely inaudible to the shipping line, pushed the transit times to extremes – even for a landlocked East African nation.

    Burundi coffee, Specialty coffee, Long Miles Coffee Project, Burundi

    Fortunately, there was another mantra for some key members of the team during this past harvest: dry the coffees perfectly. As many reading will know quite well, the proper drying of coffee is critical in determining a coffees’ longevity. Our team in Burundi, lead by the intrepid Seth Nduwayo, was fierce in their dedication of sticking to strict parameters surrounding water activity. Water activity for each lot had to be below 0.55 aw before the coffee could be moved to the mill. For a number of lots, this meant going through the extra step of putting coffee that was in our washing station warehouse back on the drying tables in order to reach the target water activity level. Though tedious at the time of processing, this level of rigor paid off. An extended journey at sea can be a death march for coffee. This is all the more true for coffees whose moisture and water activity levels are above a certain point. Every single lot from the 2019 harvest produced at Heza and Bukeye arrived in North America in excellent physical condition and tasting wonderful.

    Burundi coffee, Specialty coffee, Long Miles Coffee Project, Burundi
    Pamphile Mpawenayo, manager of Heza and Seth Nduwayo, quality and production manager.

    “DESPITE THE DELAY, THE GAHARO IS SHINING AGAIN THIS YEAR, DARE I SAY EVEN BETTER THAN LAST YEAR! I’M ONCE AGAIN IMPRESSED WITH THE QUALITY THAT LONG MILES IS DELIVERING, WHILE DOING SOME REALLY IMPORTANT GRASSROOTS WORK ON THE GROUND IN BURUNDI.”

    – PHIL ROBERTSON OF PHIL & SEBASTIAN COFFEE ROASTERS

    Though not on the timeline we had hoped for, there is still much cause for celebration when it comes to the timing of this year’s arrivals. Many thanks to our US importing partner, Osito, we were able to land the entirety of our North American-bound coffee earlier than any prior harvest.

    “THIS YEAR’S LOT OF LONG MILES COFFEE ARRIVED ON SCHEDULE AND IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THE GREEN COFFEE IS DENSE WITH EXCELLENT PREPARATION, PERFECT FOR EASY ROASTING. WE ARE PLEASED WITH THE LUSH FLORAL QUALITY OF OUR MICRO LOT. CLEAR, CLEAN FLAVORS OF BROWN SUGAR, ORANGE, AND TEA. WE FIND THE COFFEES HAVE A VIBRANT CITRIC AND TARTARIC ACIDITY WITH A DENSE SILKY BODY.”

    – OLIVER STORMSHACK OF OLYMPIA COFFEE

    Burundi coffee, specialty coffee, Long Miles Coffee Project, Burundi

    It is important to acknowledge that our European-bound coffees did not move with the same speed that we were able to achieve in the States this year. While the coffee is scheduled to arrive at roughly the same time it has in previous years (the Germany-bound container has a current ETA of March 1st), we very much look forward to improving upon the timing of our coffees into Europe for the next harvest and beyond. The aforementioned mantras of the 2019 harvest will remain the same for our 2020 harvest. We are better suited to do this than ever before, thanks to our importing partners in the States and a newly formed relationship in Europe.

    As long-time roasting partners and new relationships alike introduce their 2019 harvest Long Miles lots to their menus, we will make an effort to shine a spotlight on where you can find our coffees. Feel free to reach out to info@longmilescoffee.com if you are interested in finding a roaster in your area who has Long Miles coffee. Keep your eyes on our social media and this blog, where we will be posting further updates about where our coffee can be found. 

  • Too Much Rain

    Too Much Rain

    Burundi coffee, Specialty coffee, Long Miles Coffee Project, Burundi

    “RUGURU (upcountry ) IS BAD. TOO MUCH RAIN.”

    It comes in a message from Anicet, one of our coffee scouts at the end of last year.

    The heavy rains have caused soil to spill down the steep slope our Heza washing station is built on, stopping just short of the cherry reception tanks. Part of the road leading to Heza has crumbled away, making it impossible for anything or anyone to pass. We have to make our way on back roads to reach Heza now, adding an extra hour onto our already two-and-a-half-hour journey.

    The rain started coming down in October and the ground hasn’t been dry since. It’s not unusual to have rain this time of year, but it is unusual to have so much. The reality is, Burundi doesn’t have the kind of infrastructure to handle all this rain. There are no real gutters here. No retaining walls or storm drains. Entire roads wash away, becoming one big deadly beast that makes its way through neighborhoods. This devastation spills over into farmers’ fields, uprooting crops. It breaks down homes, church buildings, erodes roads and sometimes claims lives.

    “YOU CAN’T GO 500M WITHOUT SEEING THE DAMAGE FROM THE RAIN. IT’S TOUCHING EVERYTHING, NOT JUST THE COFFEE.” – Merchicedeck, coffee farmer on Gikungere hill

    We’ve heard heartbreaking stories of friends waking up in the middle of the night, their belongings floating all around them. Families have spent days sweeping and scooping rainwater out of their homes by the bucketful. Raging knee-deep rivers have cut off entire neighbourhoods from one another.

    Burundi Coffee, Specialty Coffee, Long Miles Coffee Project, Burundi

    Last week we took to the coffee hills to see how our farming community was feeling about all the rain. On the way up, the one national road was blocked by piles of mud that had spilled down from the surrounding mountains, making it impossible for cars to pass. Trucks that usually haul goods and fuel across Bujumbura (Burundi’s economic capital) were stopped dead in their tracks. Lines of cars snaked both up and down the road, waiting for the mud to be cleared by hand. We counted two broken pipelines spilling precious water across the road with no one to fix them in sight.

    “THE BEGINNING OF COFFEE HARVEST IS SUPPOSED TO BE A HAPPY TIME FOR US, BUT THE RAIN IS BECOMING OUR ENEMY.” – Pascal, coffee farmer from Munyinya hill

    Burundi coffee, Specialty coffee, Long Miles Coffee Project, Burundi

    This is not just a challenge for Burundi. It’s a hard truth to swallow for South Sudan, Central African Republic, Uganda, DR Congo, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania.

    “MY FAMILY’S LIFE STANDS ON COFFEE. WE WERE EXPECTING A LOT OF IT THIS YEAR, BUT DAY BY DAY I WATCH IT DISAPPEAR. THE RIPENING COFFEE CHERRIES AND LEAVES KEEP FALLING OFF THE TREES BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY RAIN.” – Abel, coffee farmer from Munyinya hill

    Almost as quickly as the heavy rains came down, they slipped away again. We celebrate the dry days, our ears still prickling at the sound of rumbling thunder and dreading the pitter-patter of fresh rain.

  • Charles: Burundian Coffee Farmer

    Charles: Burundian Coffee Farmer

    Long Miles Coffee Project Long Miles Coffee Project

    Development begins by picking up a hoe.

    Without working these fields,

    we will never move forward.

     

    What has made you the happiest in this life?

    Being taught by my father how to farm. It is what has sustained me.

    Who is your role model in life?

    My grandfather. When he left this earth he passed on something to his children. I hope I am able to do the same.

    What do you hope for your children?

    I hope that they have a good future in agriculture. None of them have had much education. I believe that development begins by picking up a hoe. Without working these fields, we will never move forward.

    Have you ever tasted your coffee?

    Yes, it’s delicious and sweet!

    Charles has been farming coffee since the 1970’s and has 480 trees. Since our washing station opened four coffee seasons ago, he’s been walking from nearby Gaharo hill to deliver his coffee cherries to us.

    Follow our #fridayfarmers hashtag on Instagram to see more!

  • Evariste: Burundian Coffee Farmer

    Evariste: Burundian Coffee Farmer

    burundi coffee, coffee farmer, burundi, specialty coffee, coffee origin,burundi coffee, coffee farmer, burundi, specialty coffee, coffee origin,burundi coffee, coffee farmer, burundi, specialty coffee, coffee origin,Have you ever tasted coffee?

    “Today was the first time.”

    What did you think?

    “It is very bitter- but I’m glad you see the value in it!”

    -Evariste

    During harvest, Evariste walks his coffee cherries 5 kilometers from his home on Musumba hill to our washing station. It’s a long uphill walk to the station. We always huff and puff walking from Musumba to Bukeye- and that’s without 50 pounds of coffee cherries on our backs or our heads!

    Until recently, farmers from Musumba hill had to walk across a single felled tree, high above the river, to get to our washing station. This year we were able to replace their single “lane” bridge and partner with the community to build a safe footpath bridge. One day, we’d love to see Musumba with a working bridge for all types of vehicles- but if we’ve learned anything in the last five years it’s that a small start is still a great start.

    Evariste has five children and his mantra for them is, “Work hard and learn how to sustain yourself so that you’ll know what to do when I’m not alive.” Like many farmers in Burundi, and maybe like all of us humans, sustainability is at the heart of Evariste’s life.

    Follow our #fridayfarmers hashtag on Instagram to see more!

  • Ninasi: Burundian Coffee Farmer

    Ninasi: Burundian Coffee Farmer

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    “I tell my children to work hard because it is how we will fight the poverty. My children bring me the most happiness- I have seven of them and they are all farmers too.”

    Ninasi’s role model is the person who taught him how to farm. In Burundi, subsistence farming is how most of the population survives. Ninasi has 305 coffee trees and he’s been farming coffee for 15 years. You can taste Ninasi’s coffee in our Musumba hill offerings (Online in the USA at Duluth or Coffee Hound).

    burundi coffee, coffee farmer, burundi, specialty coffee, coffee origin,

    burundi coffee, coffee farmer, burundi, specialty coffee, coffee origin,

    burundi coffee, coffee farmer, burundi, specialty coffee, coffee origin,

    Follow our #fridayfarmers hashtag on Instagram to see more!

  • Dorothy: Burundian Coffee Farmer

    Dorothy: Burundian Coffee Farmer

    burundi coffee, long miles coffee, origin coffee, coffee,

    Growing Coffee is like raising a child.

    You have to wash them, nurture them, and look after them.

    We spent part of a Saturday at Dorothy’s house on Gaharo hill. The minute she saw our baby Ari she scooped her up and led our whole family into her home. The dirt floors were cleanly swept and covered in the family’s grass sleeping mats. As her guests, we sat on low wooden stools and she sat on the floor. The only things adorning the cool dirt walls were a picture of Jesus, a plastic rosary, and a small piece of mirror glass. A crowd grew by her open door, entertained as baby Ari grabbed fistfuls of hair belonging to Dorothy’s youngest. We asked her some questions about life and here’s what she said.

    Who is your role model in life?

    My mom gave me to my grandmother to be raised because she had little means to raise me by herself. My grandmother became the person who taught me about life and the way to live. She taught me everything I know.

    What has your biggest challenge in life been?

    My biggest challenge in life has been linked to my children. Even after having my first child, I continued to experience pregnancy complications. My third child nearly died. The doctor didn’t think that she would survive the labor, but God intervened and I was able to give birth to a healthy girl.

    What will you tell your grandchildren one day about life?

    I will teach them about farming. What is most important though is to lead by example. If I pick up a hoe, they’ll follow and also pick up a hoe.

    Have you ever tasted your coffee? What did you think?

    Yes, when you made it for us. It’s good but it needs sugar.

    What is the most difficult part about growing coffee?

    It’s not difficult but it takes hard work and diligence. Growing Coffee is like raising a child. You have to wash them, nurture them, and look after them.

    Dorothy is 37 and has six children, the youngest pictured with her here. Her family has 54 coffee trees and during harvest she walks the cherries to our Bukeye washing station, just 15 minutes away by foot.

    burundi coffee, specialty coffee, coffee, coffee origin

    Ari meeting Dorothea, a farmer from Gaharo hill and our friend.

     

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