Nestled near Kibiria National Forest, Busambo Hill is one of several communities working with Burundi Specialty Seeds at the Umoco Washing Station in Kayanza, Burundi. In total, ~1,500 farmers deliver to this washing station, and 518 of them based near Busambo contribute to this lot in particular. With a meticulous drying and fermentation process for their naturals, we were immediately smitten with this coffee’s syrupy sweetness, vibrant red fruit, and sheer structural dimensionality. 

Believe it or not, this is only the second time we’ve featured Burundi, and the first in many a moon. We found this one thanks to new importing friends at Homage Coffee Source, a small team focused just in Burundi and Uganda. In 2021, they linked up with Burundi Specialty Seeds—another small team—and currently work with them for several phenomenal lots. BSS was founded by three friends (Juste Picasso Nduwayo, Zephyrin Banzubaze, and Jeremie Nakimuhana), and is in the process of ramping up a unique and ambitious model that includes large-scale farming in addition to their processing/export operations. Currently focused solely on producing sun-dried naturals with careful attention to wild yeast development, their quality is already speaking for itself, and they have sights on an additional washing station for washed coffees progressing in tandem with their ever-expanding work in the field.