Founded by an American couple who moved to Burundi in 2011, the Long Miles Coffee Project has earned a strong reputation throughout the international specialty industry as an innovative, farmer-driven producer of top quality Burundian coffees. Noting that coffee farmers in Burundi stood to benefit from improved access to the specialty market and that specialty roasters struggled to source traceable coffees of consistent quality in Burundi, Ben and Kristy Carlson perceived an opportunity to make a positive impact on both fronts. Following the construction of the first Long Miles washing station, Bukeye, in 2013, the team has opened two additional processing sites (Heza and Ninga) in more recent years. Each Long Miles washing station is strategically located in close proximity to thousands of rural coffee farmers who are members of distinct hill communities (the smallest geopolitical unit in Burundi is the colline or “hill”). During the harvest season, each microlot produced by the Long Miles team is kept separated and traceable to the specific hill where it was harvested. For example, all microlots processed at Heza are named after one of the five hills that deliver to the washing station during harvest: Nkonge, Mikuba, Gitwe, Gishubi, and Mutana.
Media featuring Long Miles Coffee Project
About Heza
- 1900-2100 masl
Founded by an American couple who moved to Burundi in 2011, the Long Miles Coffee Project has earned international recognition as an innovative, farmer-driven producer of top quality Burundian coffees. Noting that rural coffee farmers in Burundi stood to benefit from improved access to the specialty market and that specialty roasters struggled to source traceable coffees of consistent quality in Burundi, Ben and Kristy Carlson perceived an opportunity to make a positive impact on both fronts.
Passenger’s partnership with the Long Miles team is named for the washing station where the majority of the coffees that we purchase each year are processed. All microlots processed at Heza washing station are traceable to one of five distinct collines (the smallest geopolitical unit in Burundi is the colline or “hill”) that deliver to the site during harvest. So, while Passenger’s Foundational Heza offering is always processed by the same dedicated team, our annual selections have been composed of coffee harvested on different hills in different years.
In addition to the Heza Foundational lot, Long Miles is the source of our sister company’s Necessary Burundi offering, as well as a growing array of tiny experimental lots and special selections that are featured on Passenger’s Reserve and Education Lot menus.