News & Events

Until the end of July, $3 from every 12oz bag of Burundi coffee will be donated to the Long Miles Coffee Project "Trees for Kibira". 

You can also find more info and help support "Trees for Kibira" by visiting our partners Glasswing & Marseille... Plus they have beautiful clothing and amazing wine, so go check'em out!

Trees for Kibira

Trees for Kibira is a reforestation project founded by Long Miles Coffee Project with the aim of planting 15,000 seedling trees in Burundi's Kibira National Forest. This will bring new life to the region, help revitalize local soil, and with the support of a Tree Scouts program, empower the community with the skills to care for Kibira for generations to come.

 

 Long Miles Coffee Project 

The Long Miles Coffee Project started in 2013, when Ben and Kristy Carlson (an American family) built their first washing station, called Bukeye, at the base of Gaharo hill. This first washing station supported four different hills in the region and impacted the lives of thousands of farmers by helping them produce better quality coffee through a program called Coffee Scouts, for higher financial returns. In 2014, they built their second washing station Heza at the base of the Nkonge Hills to help share the positive impact with other local farming communities. Heza means “beautiful place” in Kirundi, the local language of Burundi.

 

Tree Scouts

Tree Scouts is an extension of the Coffee Scouts project founded by Long Miles where local community members help to remove the Antestia bug - a major cause for coffee in the region to have a potato defect (flavor of potato in coffee), decreasing the value of their coffee. No Antestia bug, no potato defect, equals better quality coffee at a higher return for the local farmers. The Tree Scout program aims to train unemployed youth in basic agronomy and data recording skills. The scouts act as leaders and mobilisers in their local communities - protecting, preserving and expanding the indigenous Kibira Forest and the trees that are replanted.

Burundi

Nestled between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in East Africa, Burundi is a small country with a population of about 10 million people. It is the 3rd poorest country in the world with one of the lowest GDP’s on earth. Agriculture is their biggest industry and accounts for 58% of their GDP. Coffee is Burundi’s largest source of revenue, making up 93% of exports. Burundi has been producing coffee for decades, but has only recently looked to enter the specialty market. The underlying quality is undeniable and the producers’ desire to grow world class specialty coffee in this relatively young industry is exciting.