Burundi: Mubuga Natural

A delicious and unique coffee from an under appreciated origin in the global coffee scene.

A naturally processed Bourbon boasting flavours of Strawberry, Honey, and a mild floral finsih.

Mubuga is a washing station in the region of Kayanza, on the northern regions of Burundi, bordering Rwanda, the station is supplied to by 1900 local small holder producers, where the washing station then speperates, grades, and washes the coffee before being sent to a different dry mill for export.

A story from our export partner:

The story of Mubuga washing station revolves around an engineer named Gasparino who would come to be known as Rutumba, a name which frightened children to the point where they couldn’t even cry. He arrived in the commune of Gashikanwa and when he ascended the hill of Nini, he looked down and said this is where he would build the coffee washing station. The lack of roads meant he had to trek across a mountain in order to reach this site. Rutumba used Swahili to consult an old man named Gikere in a nearby house to clarify whether or not this was the area of Bweranka where he was meant to build the station. 

After surveying the land, he began construction on the roads and buildings that would make up the washing station. Rutumba’s frightening reputation came from the way he stole goats from the local villagers who referred to him as a cannibal and tensions rose between him and the locals to the point where the old man Gihere even had to flee as he was accused of assisting the terrifying engineer. Shepard’s were so scared of the man that when he approached they fled leaving him free to steal and eat their goats.