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I was lucky enough to visit Long Miles in Burundi again in 2023. Visiting Long Miles just feels different -- it’s a bit hard to put into words. They are very professional, but it feels more like visiting family than a business. My hosts Joy and Herve demonstrate such immense care. Care for me, their staff and care for all of the coffee producers they work with. I know this sounds like a platitude, but in their case, it’s really true.
Despite the perpetual challenges each year from fuel shortages (I saw cars lined up for days waiting for fuel) and currency issues (three weeks before my visit every banknote in the country was recalled), Burundi’s specialty coffee is developing, and the quality of coffees produced there are truly world class. This quality potential coupled with an opportunity to affect change in one of the world’s poorest countries is what attracted Ben and Kristy Carlson, the founders of Long Miles Coffee Project. Ben reports that he spent two years tasting coffee from 187 washing stations in Burundi before honing in on the Gaharo Hill area to begin their Coffee Project.
Back in Burundi, in 2013, Ben and Kristy built their first washing station, called Bukeye, at the base of Gaharo hill. In Ben’s own poetic words, he talks about the Gaharo area:
“For Long Miles, Gaharo farmers are neighbors and co-workers—many of the dedicated washing station employees and their families call Gaharo home. Farmers share memories of growing up on this hill, attending school here and playing a ballgame called ‘Horo’ (similar to Piggy in the Middle). These memories are often punctured by war, the loss of parents, and the halt to development that conflict brings. Gaharo farmers continue to hope for better education for their children and greater stability so that they may build a life, secure in the knowledge that it will not be destroyed by war and conflict. The sprawling Gaharo region was cultivated slightly later than other regions in the area. When farmers first arrived, there was no one to welcome them; only empty land waiting to be farmed. As farmers began to work the land and plant crops, the hill was named to mean “We are full” in Kirundi (the local language of Burundi). Today, over 600 farming families live in Gaharo.
The Gaharo Hill area is home to 921 plantations with a total of 104,747 trees (someone had a lot of patience to count them!). The farming families grow tea, beans, sweet potato, cassava, bananas, and taro, in addition to coffee to sustain themselves year-round.
The Bukeye washing station processes coffee from four “hills”: Gaharo, Ninga, Munuinya and Rugoma. This level of coffee lot separation is very rare for East Africa, and is just one of many unique Long Miles initiatives. The list of impressive initiatives seems nearly endless!
Long Miles has grown considerably over the years, but impressively, they’re still separating all the lots by day and also by hill (small geographical area). This makes for a lot of cupping to explore the profiles! Their quality is very consistent, but I did find a few shining stars. I hope you enjoy them!
This green coffee was frozen, as always, to preserve freshness.
-Phil
