Burundi Kirema

Kirema Washing Station is located in Kayanza town, in the province of Kayanza. About 3,800 producers deliver cherry to the station, either directly or to one of 35 different local collection points.

Farmers here own less than half a hectare of land, on average, and in addition to growing coffee, they also grow crops like bananas, beans, yams, taro, and cassava, both for sale and for household use.

Due to the small size and yield on the average coffee farm or plot, washing stations are the primary point of purchase in Burundi. Unlike other coffee-growing regions in Central and South America where landholdings are slightly larger and coffee-centric resources are more available, most producers do not have space on their property or the financial means to do their wet- or dry-milling. Instead, the majority of growers deliver cherry to a facility that does sorting, blending, and post-harvest processing of day lots to create different offerings.