Coffee Story
Located in the province of Ngozi in Northern Burundi, Bahire is a singular, isolated hillside where smallholder growers cultivate coffee in an incredibly distinct microclimate. Most of these farms are located in their backyards and produce relatively small harvests of Red Bourbon varietal coffee. Once handpicked at peak ripeness, cherries are carefully floated to remove defects, depulped, and fermented before being meticulously sorted in concrete washing channels. The parchment is then dried in the sun. Initially in the shade, then spread out and incrementally shaped into pyramids to ensure even air exposure.
Bahire translates from Kirundi to mean "Be Well." An uplifting wish and a testament to the local community's drive toward continuous improvement.
Burundi is a landlocked Central African country bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania, with Kirundi and French as its official languages. The hilly terrain is ideal for coffee cultivation, with over 90% of the population relying on subsistence agriculture. Coffee and tea exports account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings, with coffee alone representing up to 80% of export revenue.
Coffee cultivation began during Belgian rule in the 1930s, with significant investment from 1980 to 1993 that increased coffee shrubs from 90 million to over 220 million and established numerous washing stations. Liberalization after 2007 enabled the privatization of washing stations and improved access to specialty markets.
The coffee harvest runs from March to July, allowing Burundi to reach markets in winter and early spring. Most coffee is produced by smallholder farmers, who often own less than a hectare of land. The dominant variety is Red Bourbon, which thrives in nutrient-rich volcanic soil at elevations between 1500 and 2000 meters.
