We Nitrogen Flush all of our coffee when bagging for an inert shelf stable environment by locking freshness inside for up to 6 weeks prior to opening
 
Mill: Rugazi Washing Station
Region: Rugazi, Bubanza Province
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Process: Honey
Altitude: 1425 masl
 
The Rugazi Washing Station is one of the 13 mills that form the Akawa Project. The Akawa project was created in Burundi to help producers escape the cycle of poverty in a sustainable and equitable way and is UTZ certified. The project also emphasises new ways to process their coffee with this Honey Process lot showcasing a different side to the coffee which further allows the producers to access the higher paid premiums of the speciality market. 
 
Rugazi means “place of many palms” and that is the first thing you notice when driving into the Bubanza province, West Burundi. Situated North-West of the capital of Bujumbura, Rugazi has rich volcanic soil that helps produce a sweet and complex cup profile. Farmers here intercrop coffee trees with bananas and beans which not only provide shade for coffee trees but food for the farmers and their community.
 
Cherries are received not only from the Rugazi area, but also from the surrounding Kibuye, Nyenkarange and Bugume hills. Historically the Rugazi mill only produced washed coffee, however in 2018 manager Adolphe Ndarusanze took a leap of faith and trialled honeys for the first time. On the back of the extraordinary quality produced in the pilot run, Adolphe and the team have rolled out larger scale infrastructure for greater production of honeys in 2019. We find the honey lots cupping with nectarine, honey, apricot and butterscotch, while the washed have intense yellow stone fruit, cherry, black tea and nougat.
 
Credit: Condesa Co. Lab