BURUNDI Masha

Masha station was built in 1989, in a sub-hill more famous for its cattle than its coffee. The name Masha comes from the Kirundi word amasho, meaning “herds of cattle”. 

Many trees in Burundi are Red Bourbon. The average smallholder has approximately 250 trees, normally in their backyards. During the harvest season, coffee is selectively hand-picked, almost entirely by the family. The average producer sells about 200-300 kg of cherry annually.

Much of this small-scale production is of exceptional quality, with its super sweet, clean and often floral coffees.

Before exportation, coffee is sorted by a team of hand-pickers to ensure zero defects. It takes a team of two hand-pickers a full day to look over a single bag. During high season, 10% of Burundi’s capital population is employed to process coffee.