Burundi - Gakenke

Story 

Introducing Tectonic Coffee Company's newest release: Gakenke Red Bourbon! Our coffee is sourced from the Gakenke washing station in Burundi, owned by 2,685+ smallholder farmers who work with Greenco Coffee. With an altitude of 1,670 meters above sea level, the washing station has 224 drying beds, 2 flotation tanks, 10 fermentation tanks, and 2 soaking tanks, allowing them to process up to 750 metric tons per season.

At Gakenke, quality is of utmost importance. The fully washed Red Bourbon beans are meticulously sorted and processed, resulting in a juicy and floral profile with notes of black tea, berries, and a caramelized sweetness. Most coffee trees in Burundi are Red Bourbon for reasons of quality, and our beans are sourced from farms with altitudes ranging from 1,500-1,800 meters above sea level.

Harvesting is done almost entirely by the station's “family”, and the cherry is wet-processed under constant supervision. The beans are fermented in water from a nearby stream for 10 to 12 hours, depending on ambient temperature, and trampled in the fermentation tank for 30 minutes to remove mucilage from parchment. After washing, parchment is separated into seven grades according to density and dried slowly for 2 to 3 weeks.

Greenco Coffee, who oversees and structures washing stations in Kayanza province of Burundi, provides farmer training and manages washing stations to improve quality, productivity, socio-economic, and environmental conditions around the washing stations. Our beans are bought directly from farmers via collection centers, improving farm-gate price to the producers.

Burundi's coffee is produced almost entirely by smallholder farmers, and much of this small-scale production is of exceptional quality. With its super sweet, clean, and often floral coffees, Burundi is increasingly putting itself on the specialty coffee map. Tectonic Coffee Company is proud to be a part of Burundi's coffee industry and to offer our customers the best quality beans while supporting smallholder farmers and improving their livelihoods. 

Try our Gakenke Red Bourbon today and taste the difference!