Name: Jean Marie Vianney Usekanbagoyi
Region: Ngoma Sector, Nyaruguru District, Southern Province
Tasting Notes: raisin, honeybush tea, black currant
Processing Station: Ngoma Station
Process: Washed
Variety: Red Bourbon
Altitude: 1,600 - 1,900 MASL
Roast: Light Medium
Recommended Brew Ratios:
Espresso: 1:2 - 1:2.1 (17.5-18g in, 36-37.8 out, 25-30 seconds)
Filter: 1:16
Batch Brew: 1:16.6
More:
This is our sixth year purchasing coffee from Sundog Trading Company and Ngoma Station owner/Founder of Baho Coffee Emmanuel Rusatira.
We were introduced to Emmanuel by the kind souls at 1,000 Faces. Ben Bowdoin started Sundog Trading just to get coffees from Baho to the U.S. and into good homes. Our first conversation with Emmanuel via Whatsapp was wonderful, deep, and rich, and we had an instant connection! He shared his heart through his story and we are so grateful for that vulnerability and for the work he’s doing in Rwanda to ensure producers are getting paid a fair wage for their coffees.
Of Baho, Emmanuel says, “Baho’s vision on community is guided by having a synergetic relationship with the community of farmers that we work with, where we guide them, and by creating solutions in a replicable, sustainable, and scalable manner. Those things lead to economic growth and poverty reduction. Our overall vision is implied by the meaning of our name, Baho, which in our local language means live/life. It is like a tree that grows up and has branches, flowers, and fruits yet still keeps its roots in the ground. Baho is born, grows up, and sells coffee both locally and internationally and never forgets the origin.”
This is the first single producer lot we have purchased from our partners. JMV started working and bringing his harvest to Baho’s Ngoma station in 2020. This was one of Baho’s first single farm separations, and it continues to impress each season. Since day one, JMV has been on board with Baho protocols and dedicated to delivering each season to Ngoma. He takes a few extra steps at the farm level - like selecting only the ripest cherries, floating, and sorting defects - all before taking cherries to the station. For the extra efforts, JMV receives a small bonus added to his cherry prices and second payment.
Emmanuel shares about the single farm initiative:
These are farmers that do coffee farming as business and they really show full commitment to their work. They serve as [a] model in good agricultural practices, soil management, erosion control, environmental conservation practices as well as giving jobs to many other small farmers in need especially during harvest…The reason why Baho Coffee selected to process and market their production separately from others is because we wanted [to] motivate them. Selling coffee in their names makes them proud and increases their energy and commitment. It is very easy to ask them to implement all our quality control protocol and it is also easy to have full information about their farms through our records taking system. We wish that, in future, this coffee to be served in coffee shops in the names of these farmers, owners. We are more than happy of what happened for our first year of this initiatives and we want keep extending till we can 100% give any information about our coffee from farm to export level. We have signed a commitment letter with these farmers where they commit to implement all good agricultural practice, quality control and deliver cherries to Baho cws. Baho will market, promote their coffee and pay them better prices that is higher than any other farm in the region/country.
*IF you would like this coffee ground, please specify brew method in comments.
Bags are 12oz, 2lb, 5lb
