Update: Burundi 2019 Access
Burundi is a special place for us at Homage. It’s where we cut our teeth in buying and selling coffee, and the first place we established personal relationships with producers that we continue to work with year after year. The country of Burundi, its people, and its coffee shaped our initial vision for Homage Coffee Source, and the vision we carry forward today - working in producing countries where we add the most value at both ends of the supply chain, for the producer and roaster.
This year we are continuing to dive deeper with our producer partners by not only rewarding the quality lots but seeking to buy more of their coffee across a wider range of qualities to provide greater market access. Additionally, we are working alongside our producer partners towards understanding their true costs, from operating costs to cost of production at each level of quality. As we further understand the costs and challenges facing our partners, we can work together on optimizing, forecasting and aligning our partners goals on both sides of the supply chain.
We understand Burundi coffee might make up a smaller portion of roasters offerings each year for various reasons, but we have the vision to see that grow with the right access. This year we are implementing hard timelines to our Pre-Ship Access. The new timeline strengthens access to P.S. samples to lock in early commitments and meet projections, while also allowing us to bring in other spot coffees at peak freshness, for roasters looking for offerings after arrival. Key timelines are provided below:
Peak Harvest Season: April-June
Pre-Ship Purchase Period: June 24th-August 2nd (6 weeks)
Shipping Timeline: August-September
Arrival: October-November
*We are headed to Burundi on June 9th* If we have not talked about your interests & needs from this Burundi harvest, let’s get the conversation started today! Drop us a line through the Work With Us page on our website, or contact us directly - jake@homagecoffeesource.com (US), maddie@homagecoffeesource.com (UK & Europe).
NKANDA WASHING STATION:
P.R.O.C.A.S.T.A. (Promotion du Café Specialité de Tangara) owns Nkanda Washing Station, located deep in the hills of Tangara, Ngozi where the elevation ranges between 1700-1900 masl, and the soil is laterite and rocky compared to neighboring sandy clay soil of Kayanza. Owner and leader, Pierre Nzeyimana has been producing excellent, complete fully washed coffees for a long time – and he also makes some of the best goat brochettes we’ve had in Burundi. Now, all three of Pierre’s sons are involved in the operation, each managing a specific piece. Homage has been working with Pierre since our start in Burundi, producing many of the best lots we tasted our first year. Since that time our partnership has continued to grow as we work together on quality and traceability – Pierre is now separating day lots traceable to the commune and date of harvest so we can get a true taste of the terroir from a specific point in time. Typical flavor notes from Nkanda include: Tangerine, Cola, Vanilla, Cocoa, Stone Fruit, Honeysuckle.
MUNKAZE WASHING STATION:
Munkaze Washing Station is located in the north east corner of Kayanza Province, just east of Kayanza Centre. Although 2018 was the first year we have worked together, a deep, rich relationship has formed between Munkaze and Homage and they have quickly become a key component of our sourcing work in Burundi. Munkaze’s operations are led by Ephrem Sebatigita, a true veteran in the Burundi coffee sector with rich family history in Kayanza. In the 1930s, Ephrem’s grandfather planted some of the first coffee trees in the Kayanza Province, and those trees founded the family farm where Ephrem still lives today and continues the legacy. Over the years, Ephrem has built and managed 4 dry mills and consulted for many washing stations across the country while earning a Q Grader certification, completing the Q Processing Level 2 course, and serving as Burundi’s CQI Coordinator. Ephrem is using all his experience to drive the Burundi coffee sector forward and produce remarkable coffees through Munkaze that impress at COE – most recently placing 2nd in 2018 with a score of 91. Typical flavor notes from Munkaze include: Green Apple, Cherry, Honey, Floral, Melon, Berries, Sparkling.