About This Coffee
Murambi Coffee owns and operates Murambi washing station in Murambvya. Smallholders cultivate coffee on plots that are typically <1 hectare and deliver their cherry to the station.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Farmers selectively handpick cherry and deliver it Murambi station. At intake, cherry is visually sorted and then floated to remove lights or damaged cherry. Cherry is pulped and then fermented for 18 to 24 hours.
After fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and sent through grading channels. Parchment is then laid to sundry on raised beds. Workers rake parchment frequent to ensure even drying. Parchment is covered night and from rain or intense sun. It takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks for parchment to dry.
Coffee in Burundi
Burundi has long been overlooked in comparison to its neighboring East African specialty coffee producing powerhouses. However, Burundi season, for us, is one of the highlights of the annual coffee calendar. The country’s coffee is produced almost entirely by smallholder farmers, and much of this small-scale production is of exceptional quality. With its super sweet, clean and often floral coffees, Burundi, every year, is increasingly is putting itself on the specialty coffee map.
Coffee is of paramount importance to families and the country at large. Considering this, improving and expanding coffee infrastructure is not just a way to improve incomes, it is a way to revolutionize the earning potential of an entire nation.
Building washing stations and expanding agricultural extension work can be great ways to improve coffee quality. Washing stations are pivotal in improving cup profile standards and the global reputation of Burundian coffee.
Both state-owned and private actors drive Burundi’s coffee industry and play key roles as washing station management companies and exporters. State-owned companies are called Sogestals, short for “Sociétés de Gestions des Stations de Lavage” (Washing station management companies). Privately-owned companies can operate under a variety of different names.
Sucafina’s history in Burundi goes back to 2007 when Bucafe/Sucafina Burundi was established in Bujumbura. Through Bucafe, we work with several privately-owned washing station management companies and exporters. Our work bridges the entire supply chain, allowing us to be vertically integrated. Our supply chain is solid, reliable and transparent. Due to this, we are more efficient, able to supply better value and positioned to offer both producers and consumers of Burundian coffee a diversity of expertise.