Burundi Ngozi Turihamwe

Description

We are so excited to introduce to you these fantastic coffees from Burundi through our newest trading partner, JNP Coffee.

JNP Coffee produces, promotes and trades African specialty coffee. Their founder, Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, passionately pursues her dream of helping the coffee farmers of her birthplace, Burundi, East Africa – a specialty coffee-producing country and one of the poorest in the world.

Burundi Arabica coffee grows at high altitudes, from 1,200 to 1,950 meters (3,937 to 6,397 feet) above sea level, which contributes to the bright acidity, sweet, complex and full body you find in a cup of Burundi coffee.

Turihamwe, which means “together” in Kirundi, is a high-quality coffee produced by women coffee farmers and processed in Burundi’s first washing station built and owned by women farmers. Seven women pooled their savings from their JNP Coffee premiums to build their own wet mill in 2019. Now they control the quality of their coffee and this stage of the supply chain. The result is an exceptional coffee that features the sweet and citrus flavors so prized by specialty coffee drinkers.

In Burundi, cultural norms shift slowly, and women still lack full property ownership rights or equal access to education. In an economic sense, women in countries such as Burundi are often considered underutilized assets. JNP Coffee uses the power of specialty coffee to transform the lives of women growers by paying them directly for their work, encouraging community and challenging customs as they become central participants in their local economies. Typically, women reinvest 90 percent of their income back into their families and community. No wonder women-produced coffee commands a premium in today’s market. We recognize that it holds a value beyond coffee.

JNP Coffee works closely with a 600-member co-op of women growers that produces excellent coffee, using an innovative natural processing method that is unique to the area. We share the success their coffee enjoys in global markets through our Dushime™ premium payment program. In Kirundi, Dushime means “Let’s be thankful.”

In recent years, JNP Coffee also purchased the majority of coffee grown by women members of the Burundi chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) and supported other organizations that teach women financial literacy and leadership skills.  This program has been so popular that local men petitioned to join the classes.

In 2019, in the Ngozi region of Burundi, a group of seven women, true entrepreneurs, surprised everyone with the high quality of their very first coffee harvest of five micro-lots. Kaladi is proud to offer you this coffee called Turihamwe, which means “together” in Kirundi.These seven women have worked in coffee farming for several years, earning premiums from JNP Coffee as part of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Premium Program. Last year, they pooled their savings and formed a small investor group, which they named Turihamwe Turashoba, or “Together we can.” The women then used the investment funds to build their own wet mill, named for the local hill Gitemezi.For these women and nearly 2,000 others, the premiums they earn enable them to save money for the first time in their lives. The women also participate in financial literacy classes that teach them how to make smart decisions with their money.