Our Coffees
We source exceptional coffees grown in the mountains of East Africa, notable for their sparkling acidity, balanced with fruit and floral characteristics.
All our coffees are heirloom Bourbon, with subvarietals Jackson and Mibirizi varieties grown at altitudes between 1,200 and 1,950 m (3,937 to 6,397 feet) above sea level. Rainfall is 1,200 millimeters (47 inches) per year, ideal for growing coffee in the volcanic soil of this region.
All coffees from Burundi are small production micro-lots. Many are heritage coffees from plants with no genetic modification, often growing in the shade of banana trees, among cassava plants, corn, beans, and tea. Their quality is genuine and pure.
We offer these select coffees to the global market to connect an increasing desire for quality with the sustainable production of Burundi’s growers and to strengthen their communities. Join us for a cupping and experience the delicious satisfaction of coffee from Burundi.
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Province
Kayanza
Altitude
1680m ASL
Process
FW & Natural
Akeza
JNP Coffee
Akeza is another exceptional coffee grown in a notably remote area of Kayanza Province. Jeanine's first visit was not ideal, it was pouring rain and the roads were steep. At one point her team got out of their rented 4x4 truck to help some local farmers push it up the slope, but the truck kept sliding backwards. She felt certain that they were never going to get out! In that moment, she promised herself she was never coming back. And yet, after meeting the farmers and tasting the coffees, she realized that sometimes the most difficult places to get to are the best.
In addition to working with these farmers, she is also working with the local authority to get the road repaired. The first year with JNP Coffee, these farmers produced beautiful naturals only. However, the second year, JNP Coffee partnered with them to build a wet mill, including pulping machines, fermentation tanks, raised African beds, coffee storage rooms, and post processing clean water filtration systems. In the 2022 harvest, they produced their first washed coffee with excellent results.
There is a bright future for Akeza coffee. Akeza means "beautiful" in Kirundi.
Bahire
JNP Coffee
Bahire, a new coffee discovery! For years Jeanine saw that there was one coffee from Ngozi Province that consistently scored higher than all the other fine coffees from that region. Feeling her kinship for Ngozi, afterall her mother was born and raised there, she set out to find that coffee. It took some work, but she finally found the hill where this special coffee was growing and she was in awe of the differentiation that terroir can make in coffee. JNP Coffee now works with the farmers of Bahire. Bahire means "be well" in Kirundi.
Province
Ngozi
Altitude
1800m ASL
Process
FW & Natural
Score
Province
Ngozi
Altitude
1800m ASL
Process
FW & Natural
Bavyeyi
JNP Coffee
Bavyeyi coffees are grown in the rich volcanic soil of a remote mountain area of northern Burundi in Ngozi Province, an area famous for its excellent coffees. The conditions in this region are perfect for producing distinctly high quality coffees and JNP Coffee works with an experienced group of farmers, many of whom are Muslim women. These farmers collaborate enthusiastically with the JNP Q-grader when she visits their farms, understanding that quality can mean empowerment. Bavyeyi coffee was named by Jeanine in honor of her own mother who grew up in Ngozi and helped her family grow coffee. Bavyeyi means "parents" in Kirundi.
Hafi
JNP Coffee
The remotest of the remote! That's often where you find the prize. In the hills of Muyinga Province, the farmers of Hafi coffee would face more than a day's journey if they tried to deliver their freshly harvested coffees to the nearest wet mill. That's why, until this year, all Hafi coffees were naturally processed. It was even difficult for JNP Coffee to visit them as it's a six-hour journey from Bujumbura if the roads aren't washed out. Jeanine did visit though and what she found was that these farmers in their remoteness had become masters of the natural process. They had developed a 24- and 48-hour anaerobic process for closing the coffee cherries in raised beds. This controlled fermentation adds a jamminess to the coffee as well as other wonderfully complex multi-layered flavors. Hafi is named for the farmers' desire to have a washing station nearby. Hafi means "near" in Kirundi.
Province
Muyinga
Altitude
1715m ASL
Process
Natural
Score
Province
Kayanza
Altitude
1900m ASL
Process
FW & Natural
Incuti
JNP Coffee
Kayanza Province is known to produce some of the highest-quality coffees in Burundi. Incuti coffee grows near a high-altitude rainforest in Kayanza among the tea, banana and cassava plants. This exceptional coffee was new to the JNP Coffee family a few years ago and comes with a special story. The producer was a past winner of the Cup of Excellence in Burundi, when Jeanine served on the COE jury. He had also heard about JNP Coffee’s Dushime® program and their support for farmers.
Based on this, he sought out Jeanine to see if her company would work with his group of farmers. When Jeanine visited the farms, she was impressed not just by the coffee but also by the character and persistence of this hardworking man, who has since become a dear friend. JNP Coffee continues to work with the farmers of Incuti. Incuti means "friend" in Kirundi.
Matongo
JNP Coffee
Another exceptional offering hails from Kayanza Province, known for producing some of the highest quality coffees in Burundi. This particular coffee was a first-place winner of the coveted Cup of Excellence in 2013. Processed through one of Burundi’s few double fermentation washing stations, Matongo coffee cherries are picked by women coffee farmers in a high-altitude microclimate, grown among tea, bananas, beans, and cassava plants. Jeanine has known these farmers for a long time, establishing a close bond over the years. Expect notes of peach, jasmine, and blackberry.
Province
Kayanza
Altitude
1800m ASL
Process
FW
Province
Ngozi
Altitude
1750m ASL
Process
FW
Turihamwe
JNP Coffee
The proud women farmers of Turihamwe coffee truly embody the spirit of entrepreneurship. They have been growing coffee in Ngozi Province for about five years and have devoted themselves to attaining quality and building a sustainable future for their families and their community, a future that they see is possible because of their partnership with JNP Coffee. For several years they worked together, studied together, and saved their Dushime® premiums together. Soon they had enough money to build their own wet mill, which they did themselves. Now they control the quality of their coffee beyond the harvest and through the critical processing steps. The name Turihamwe was chosen by the women themselves. It means "together" in Kirundi.
Ubuto
JNP Coffee
Ubuto Coffee and a new terroir! JNP Coffee searches the far corners of Burundi to identify new and diverse specialty coffees, and we find them. We were delighted to find Ubuto Coffee because it's more than just a new coffee, it represents a new terroir in Karuzi Province, east of its better-known neighbor Ngozi. This area is known for its young trees and most recently, there are reports that they may have discovered a new breed of coffee tree! We’re following the genetic research. For Ubuto Coffee, the impact of new coffee trees, cared for by these new farmers is profound, the coffee has a fresh flavor profile and clean crisp notes. Ubuto, means "young" in Kirundi.
Province
Karuzi
Altitude
1700m ASL
Process
FW &
Natural
Province
Cankuzo Province
Altitude
1681m ASL
Process
FW
Gisoko
JNP Coffee
A new coffee partnership is underway! During a recent Rainforest Alliance Certification training for our current partners, a group of producers approached Jeanine with an invitation to collaborate after witnessing the impact of our ongoing projects in Burundi. With a heart to support more farmers, Jeanine was delighted to discover that the flavors and notes of this coffee amazed her.
What’s remarkable about this region, which has remained untouched by past civil conflicts, is the strong emphasis on valuing women producers. They hold key leadership positions, such as Head of Production and Head of Quality.
Located in the eastern part of Burundi, Cankuzo Province borders Tanzania to the northeast and southeast. With two natural reserve areas, Cankuzo is the least populated province in Burundi. It takes at least a five-hour drive to reach Gisoko from Bujumbura. Unique to this terroir, the people here cultivate not only coffee cherries but also a significant amount of peanuts.