Smallholder Farmers

Operating in Burundi is extremely challenging due to widespread poverty—per capita GDP often estimated between 10 and 20 USD—and systemic issues like food insecurity, ethnic conflict, fuel shortages, and political instability, all of which hinder stable, trust-based trade and limit profitability to high volume or exceptional quality. Despite this, many producers are building resilient, quality-focused operations, and Goshen remains committed to supporting them by opening new markets and enabling more sustainable incomes.

Red Bourbon

Red Bourbon is a revered Arabica mutation from Yemen and Île Bourbon (now La Réunion), prized for its sweetness and high-altitude growth, where slower maturation enhances complexity. Introduced to Burundi in the early 1900s, it became the foundation of the country’s coffee industry, and recent liberalization now enables traceable, high-quality single-origin coffees.

12 Hour Wet Fermentation, 12 Hour Dry Fermentation

Cherries are hand-sorted for ripeness, floated to remove low-density fruit, then pulped to remove the outer skin before undergoing 12–36 hours of dry fermentation to break down mucilage. The coffee is then washed, graded by density, and soaked in clean water for 12–18 hours to enhance clarity and acidity. Finally, it is dried on raised beds for 16–20 days to optimal moisture levels, with frequent hand-sorting to remove defects.