The Humure washing station, where 1500 small hold producers deliver their coffee cherry, is named after the highest hill in the area. Emmanuel Rusatira of Baho Coffee took over as the owner and operator of the washing station 3 years ago. This is our fourth season working with Emmanuel and Sundog Trading. In his first years as owner, Emmanuel increased the production capabilities of Humure by 20-fold with investments in new fermentation tanks, washing channels, and storage units.

During the peak of the season, the washing station employs 220 people and is managed entirely by women. Beginning in the 2021 harvest season, our partners broke down the Humure washing station into smaller, further traceable lots. Our lot is grown by 9 smallholder farmers that make up the Abishyizehamwe group, which translates to 'people who come together.'

Emmanuel commits to paying higher cherry prices to his contributing producers. As a result, farmers want to invest in the infrastructure of their farms and improve the quality of their coffee. Last year, Baho's seedling distribution provided 50,000 coffee seedling trees to their producers. This year Baho developed the Farmer First Premium Program to give contributing producers a second payment later in the year. Guiding farmers in best practices is a year-round effort for Emmanuel. He is constantly visiting to consult on tree health, providing fertilizer, or teaching inter-cropping strategies and professional development in specialty coffee.

The natural lots produced at Humure are stunners. In order to develop the rich, complex flavors in this coffee, coffee cherries are delivered 2-3 hours after picking, sealed overnight for 12 hours, then laid out in a single layer to dry for 50-55 days in total. On days five through twenty, the coffee is turned every two hours. From days twenty through fifty, the temperature is strictly monitored to have slow, controlled drying. The end result is an alluring cup of coffee with notes of blueberry, grape, and subtle hints of wine throughout. We recommend a 1:16 brew ratio, filtered water at 208-210℉, a medium grind, and a 3-3.5 minute brew cycle.