Burundi - GATARE WASHING STATION

Region: Muramvya

Process: Fully Washed

Variety: Bourbon, Jackson Bourbon

Elevation: 1650 – 1750 MASL

You won’t be surprised to find out that this COE award-winning washing station is just over several “colines” (hills) from the Buhorwa Washing Station and shares a catch-basin of contributing farmers. Gatare is located northeast of the town of Bukeye (Muramvya Province), and sits just over the border into Kayanza Province, famed as a longstanding coffee powerhouse.
While the Buhorwa Washing Station rests in a red clay valley famous for brick making, Gatare is nestled in a green valley trickling with mountain water. Gatare’s quality is thanks, in large part, to the watchful eye of the washing station manager Jean Surmani, who makes sure everything is covered from the maintenance of the pulper, to clean canals, to fastidious parchment picking. Sourcing here is similar to Buhorwa, with us choosing the best day lots to come up with the now classic sticky sweet lime Gatare profile. Over the years, we have always been excited to grow both our purchasing and our community involvement with Gatare, and in 2018 Crop to Cup launched Projet Vache. This project supports coffee farmers around Buhorwa and Gatare with community-managed dairy cow sites for milk, alternative income and manure to improve the region’s low level of soil health.