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Origin:
Burundi, Kayanza
Producer:
1074 smallholders
Station:
Nemba
Altitude:
1700 masl
Process:
Variety:
Red Bourbon
Natural anaerobic yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
High Fermentation Impact
About the producers
Nemba station lies in the northern province of Kayanza. The lead agronomist oversees the implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and farmer education. They collaborate with producers to ensure they have access to the necessary farming tools. The agronomist also helps farmers determine and implement the practices best suited to the specific growing conditions of their farming plots. Nemba uses a monitoring system to ensure traceability all along the production and processing chain.
1074 producers are smallholders who own an average of 150 coffee trees. The farmers delivering cherry to Nemba are all located around 1700 masl, near the Kibila forest. The washing station has over 200 drying tables and can process up to 750 metric tons of cherry annually. The washing station participates in a number of farmer outreach and support projects including a livestock rearing project and a range of projects centered on strengthening cooperatives and improving yields.
About variety and processing
Most coffee trees in Burundi are Red Bourbon for reasons of quality. Because of the increasingly small size of coffee plantings aging rootstock is a very big issue in Burundi. Many farmers have trees that are over 50 years old, but with small plots farm, is difficult to justify taking trees entirely out of production for the 3-4 years it will take new plantings to begin to yield. In order to encourage farmers to renovate their plantings, Greenco purchases seeds from the Institute des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU), establishes nurseries and sells the seedlings to farmers at or below cost. Despite the ubiquity of coffee growing in Burundi, each smallholder produces a relatively small harvest. The average smallholder has approximately 250 trees, normally in their backyards. Each tree yields an average of 1.5 kilos of cherry so the average producer sells about 200-300 kilos of cherry annually.
During the harvest season, all coffee is selectively handpicked. Most families only have 200 to 250 trees, and harvesting is done almost entirely by the family.
Cherry is placed in containers and Intenso yeast purchased from the French company Lalcafe is added. The cherry is left to ferment in this environment for approximately 36 hours.
LALCAFÉ INTENSO™ yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was specially developed for coffee production over a four-year period of research and trials. Trials in various regions and environments showed that Intenso is well suited to better control processing efficiency and to upgrade the cup quality. The yeast is able to control the fermentation process against the risk of spoilage micro-organisms that can generate undesirable defects. Furthermore, its specific metabolism and high capacity even at cold temperatures (minimum 15°C inside the coffee tank) allow for the expression of fresh and fruity characteristics of the coffee beans while respecting the unique flavors of each lot.
After fermentation, cherry is carried to the drying tables, where they will dry slowly for 2 to 3 weeks, during which time the cherry is repeatedly sorted and sifted to ensure even drying. Cherry is left to dry from sunrise to sunset and is covered with a sheet during the evening or when it rains. The moisture level is carefully monitored and any cherry with visual defects is removed.
In the cup we think it tastes like pomegranate, cherry liqueur, dark chocolate.
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