Burundi Nemba Washed

Sometimes our best intentions lead us down some pretty crooked roads. Fortunately, when it comes to coffee, there's usually something special at the end of those out-of-the-way paths. The communities and the story behind this coffee are no exception. See, when we bought this coffee, we also bought a herd of goats. Let us explain. In February of 2017, we committed to guaranteeing farmer's better compensation. We set an industry-leading baseline price for all the coffee we purchase--more than 40% above the organic fair trade guarantee. The only problem was these wonderful coffees from Burundi didn't cost enough. The solution wasn't simply cutting a bigger check because our guaranteed price has to go back to farmers, not exporters. Fortunately, Greenco, the company we worked with to bring these coffees in-house are an exceptionally creative and engaged group of people. They proposed that we used the additional funds we wanted to pay for these coffees to purchase goats to be distributed to the communities that grew the coffee, a resource that would diversify their incomes and help them become more economically stable. The Nemba coffees are truly remarkable. They've been standouts in Burundi's Cup of Excellence competitions and have been a favorite of ours since we've tasted them. We never anticipated getting into the goat trade, but we're happy to be playing our part. We're also thrilled to be working with an organization like Greenco. Having an increased and lasting connection to the farmers in the Nemba community is a truly special, unforeseen opportunity. Here's to heading into uncharted territory and finding what you didn't know you were looking for.