Gakenke

A natural Bourbon from smallholder producers in Ngozi, Burundi, processed at Gihere Washing Station and showing a juicy, experimental fruit-led character.

This lot comes from the Arsosala Washing Station, located at 1,800 masl in the Uraga woreda of Guji, Ethiopia. Founded in 2015, Arsosala now serves 1,200 smallholder producers, who cultivate coffee on small plots alongside other crops and deliver their cherries to the station. The station pays partner farmers a 5–10% premium, encouraging a focus on quality rather than volume. This is a special prep lot, only cherries picked at perfect ripeness are selectived from the day lot and processed seperately. The result is a small volume, curated lot of the best quality from Arsosala.

Since taking over the management of Aquiares Estate in 1992, Don Alfonzo Robelo has led the farm with a strong focus on sustainability and community development. Aquiares Estate is one of Costa Rica’s largest and best-known coffee farms, with coffee production dating back to 1890. The estate sits at elevations of around 1,100–1,400 masl. Don Alfonzo works closely with World Coffee Research and ICAFE, Costa Rica’s Coffee Institute, to trial new coffee varieties and innovative farming techniques. His commitment to the local community extends beyond coffee, with the estate supporting youth programmes, healthcare initiatives and local schools. Through its Home Ownership programme, Aquiares has also helped workers purchase their own homes.

This lot comes from the Kamwangi washing station and is grown at altitudes of 1,600-1,800 masl. by smallholders in Kirinyaga County, in Kenya’s central highland region. Kamwangi is one of three washing stations managed by the Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society, which serves around 1,500 farmers in this region, home to the slopes of Mount Kenya, rich volcanic soils, and numerous rivers. Coffee develops slowly due to the high altitude and lower temperatures, creating very muture fruit flavours, high in complexity.