It's a vibrant one - it'll perk you right up.

Founded in 1984, Gihere Coffee Washing Station has long stood at the center of Burundi’s coffee story. Just six kilometers away, Prince Bigayimpunzi championed the democratization of coffee farming, helping transform coffee into the region’s “precious cherry.” It quickly became the crop that sustained families and shaped everyday life - so much so that farmers would say to lenders, “I’ll pay you when I harvest my coffee, not my cassava,” a phrase that spoke to its importance in the community.

Today, Gihere is managed by Bugestal, working with more than 15,000 farmers across nine washing stations in Ngozi and Muyinga provinces. Natural-processed coffees remain less common in Burundi, but Gihere has built its reputation on doing them well. Every cherry delivered is floated, hand-sorted, and laid out to dry slowly on raised tables for 3–4 weeks, checked and re-checked until only the best remain. It’s a meticulous process, designed to protect both the quality of the coffee and the livelihoods of the farmers who grow it.

Notes of cranberry, fig, and lemon myrtle.

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