Burundi Turihamwe Washed

This microlot comes to us from the beautiful high elevation Central Plateau of northern Burundi. Located within the Buyenzi Natural Region, this area features gentle slopes and fertile valleys. Grown by women farmers and processed at a women owned washing station, this coffee is something special.

The name Turihamwe means "together" in Kirundi (the local language) and represents the original seven farmers who came together in 2019 to build Burundi's first women built, owned, and operated washing station. Running their own wet mill has allowed the members of this group to have strict quality control over their coffees from planting through processing. With the support of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance and JNP Coffee's Dushime Premium Program, they doubled production in their first two years and continue to grow. Dushime translated from Kirundi means "let's be thankful."

The farmers selectively hand-pick their coffee cherries when perfectly ripe and deliver them to the washing station. The cherries are carefully sorted and fully washed using the traditional Burundian "double washed" process. Fresh cherries are first pulped and then allowed to ferment in their remaining mucilage for 12 hours. They are washed in water channels and sorted for density. The selected coffee is moved to clean water tanks to ferment for up to 48 hours before being rinsed in clean water. Finally, the coffee is spread out on raised beds to dry in the sun while the moisture levels are carefully monitored.

The design for the bag was inspired by the Turihamwe story. The seven flowers represent the seven women founders who pooled their resources together to build the washing station. The flowers are arranged in a hexagonal shape to communicate the strength and stability created by working together. The earthy colors reflect the natural landscape of Burundi.