Name: Akeza
Region: Kayanza Province, Burundi
Tasting Notes: blueberry, blackberry, grape, violet, raspberry in a dynamic and syrupy-sweet cup.
Producers: small-scale farmers
Process: Natural
Variety: Bourbon
Altitude: 1,680 MASL
Roast: Light
More:
We’ve purchased a few coffees from JNP Coffee founder Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian because the quality is always superior.
In addition to her quality prerogatives, Jeanine also focuses specifically on increasing gender diversity within the Burundian coffee community. Jeanine is also the only woman majority shareholder of a larger Burundi coffee conglomerate and a role model not just in Burundi but also in the coffee community.
JNP works with organizations that focus on gender diversity and inclusivity in the region, such as the International Women’s Coffee Alliance Burundi Chapter. They also founded the nonprofit Burundi Friends International to educate youth, improve financial literacy, and create self-sustaining communities.
As for Akeza, it means "beautiful" in Kirundi and this coffee represents Akeza very well. This coffee is bursting with sweetness, we loved it right off the bat. Akeza is grown in a notably remote area of Kayanza Province. Jeanine's first visit was not ideal, it was pouring rain and the roads were steep. At one point her team got out of their rented 4x4 truck to help some local farmers push it up the slope, but the truck kept sliding backwards. She felt certain that they were never going to get out! In that moment, she promised herself she was never coming back. And yet, after meeting the farmers and tasting the coffees, she realized that sometimes the most difficult places to get to are the best.
In addition to working with these farmers, she is also working with the local authority to get the road repaired. The first year with JNP Coffee, these farmers produced beautiful naturals only. However, the second year, JNP Coffee partnered with them to build a wet mill, including pulping machines, fermentation tanks, raised African beds, coffee storage rooms, and post-processing clean water filtration systems. The coffee farmers were ecstatic with the new washing station. Now they can bring cherries for same-day processing, ensuring higher-quality green coffee and greater premiums for their labor. A local farmer-turned-business owner recognized the demand for this facility and in partnership with JNP Coffee, completed construction in 2021. In the 2022 harvest, they produced their first washed coffee with excellent results.
We're excited to continue working with JNP and bring you all this beautiful natural. We love it for its uniquely delicate profile, unusual for a natural, and its kaleidoscope of flavors.
*IF you would like this coffee ground, please specify the brew method in the comments.
Bags are 12oz, 2lb, 5lb
