history of Burundi
Image source: Royal Coffee
In the early 20th century, when Burundi was a Belgian colony, coffee was a key cash crop. Its exports went to Europe or to supply the demand for coffee by Europeans in other colonies. Under Belgian rule, Burundian farmers were all forced to grow a certain amount of coffee trees and received little to no money in return.
After Burundi achieved independence in the 1960s, the coffee industry was privatized. Control was taken from the government, aside from what was necessary regarding research, price stabilization, and intervention. Negative connotations around coffee led to a decline in quality as the plants were abandoned.
After the civil wars of the 1990s, coffee began to emerge as a way for Burundi to recover the agrarian sector and increase their lacking foreign exchange. Influenced by Rwanda’s success in the coffee market, Burundi began to rebuild their industry in the early 2000s. An increase in investment and balance between privately and state-run coffee companies lead to greater stability and expanded opportunities for Burundians. Burundi’s coffee sales began to increase, and they emerged as a key African coffee-growing country.
Although Burundi remains one of the poorest countries in the world and the collateral damage from the country’s colonial history is still felt today, significant progress has been made due to the passionate efforts of Burundians like Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian. Read more about her and JNP Coffees below.
Our burundian Coffees
Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, the founder of JNP Coffees, is without a doubt one of the most influential individuals in Burundi coffee today. JNP Coffee is highly focused on women’s empowerment, and, along with a few local women’s rights advocates, formulated the Burundi chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance. The IWCA value chain has been so impactful over the years that JNP has created additional programs to expand their farmer base and generate premiums. Beyond paying well above the country’s minimum harvest price, JNP returns second payments to farmers and invests in opportunities for education and community building. The wet mill that produced this coffee was built in 2018, entirely with the savings of women farmers who had long wanted a processing site of their own for quality assurance. The group of farmers behind this coffee refer to themselves as Turihamwe Turashobora in Kirundi, which translates to “Together We Can!’’. The wet mill and quality team is entirely women-led and works closely with JNP’s trained Q Graders on best quality practices and lot curation.