There are women farming coffee on Gikungere hill who are tearing down the walls that were once built up around them.
Tag Archives: soil erosion
A year in the life of Long Miles Coffee in Burundi
We’re often asked the question, “What does a ‘typical day’ in the life of Long Miles Coffee look like?” The truth? It depends on when you ask.
A history of coffee in Burundi, and why we started Farmer Field Schools.
Coffee has a storied history in Burundi. It was introduced to the country in the 1920s under Belgian colonial rule. By the early 1930s, all of the farmers in the country were given coffee seedlings and forced to cultivate them with very little resources, support, or compensation to do so.
2020: the year in review.
Lately, the thought of sitting down to reflect on the past year has felt like an overwhelming task. What really happened to 2020? It goes without saying that last year was unlike any other. For us, 2020 held challenges that were unique to the season and challenges that aren’t all that ‘unprecedented’ when it comes to producing coffee.
What’s the update on Long Miles Kenya? Founder’s thoughts from the cool slopes of Mount Kenya.
When Kristy and I started Long Miles Coffee we never dreamed of doing anything beyond producing coffee outside the small village of Bukeye in the high mountains of Burundi. Ten years after our first days in Burundi we find ourselves with three washing stations in Burundi and fresh into the inaugural season of Long Miles Kenya.
Before + Now
The coffee farmers we work with have always been central to who we are, but until 2017 their stories were always filtered and shared by me- an outsider looking in. We began Long Miles thinking we knew what farmers needed, but could we really know if we never experienced life through their eyes?