Sourcing coffee in Burundi is as much about relationships and resilience as it is about flavor. When Ben and Kristy Carlson arrived in 2011, they witnessed significant challenges facing smallholder farmers— ranging from inconsistent quality and limited infrastructure to deep-rooted systemic inequalities that hindered long-term success. In response, they founded Long Miles Coffee, building a model centered on meaningful connections between farmers, improved infrastructure, and transparent partnerships with buyers.

The production of coffee in this region is deeply rooted in the daily life of the Burundi people. At 1,700 meters above sea level smallholder farms cultivate coffee trees alongside other crops, often on hillsides or even outside of their self-made mud brick houses to utilize as much space as possible. 

Once farmers are ready to have their coffee processed they must travel by foot to washing stations. To reach Bumba Hill they must travel across three rivers and two provinces, for some it is a three hour trip just to process their harvest. In 2019, Ninga Hill was established. A washing station that would allow farmers that were previously faced with geographic barriers to embrace infrastructure that was brought closer to them. In turn, this reduces travel burdens, ensures more accurate weighing and pricing of the coffee cherries, and immensely improves quality and trust between producer and the processing facility. 

We are immensely grateful to have sourced coffee from here for several years via our importer Osito Coffee. This year’s lot, Bumba 11, is no exception; a delicious Washed Process Bourbon that is sweet and complex with a tea-like base. We invite you to enjoy a cup at one of our cafes or wherever you enjoy your coffee.