Coffee Description
This one's a fruit bomb. Densely sweet blackberry and currant flavors are balanced with bright lime-like acidity.
Roast Level from the Roaster
Refers to the roast level in comparison with other coffees from the roaster
Light
Variety
Bourbon
Process
Natural
Elevation
1800-2100 masl
Region
Kayanza
About Nemba Washing Station of Burundi
Sometimes good intentions lead us down unknown paths. Fortunately, when it comes to coffee, there's usually something special at the end of those crooked roads. This coffee, and the story that comes with it, is no exception.
See, when we bought this coffee, we also bought a herd of goats.
In February of 2017, we committed to guaranteeing farmer's better compensation. We set an industry-leading baseline price for all the coffee we purchase––more than 40% above the organic fair trade guarantee. The only problem was these wonderful coffees from Burundi didn't cost enough. The solution wasn't simply writing a bigger check to our exporter, because our guaranteed price has to go back to farmers, not our trading partners.
Fortunately, Greenco, the company we worked with to bring these coffees in-house, are an exceptionally creative and engaged group of people. They proposed that we used the additional funds we wanted to pay for these coffees to purchase goats to be distributed to the communities that grew the coffee, a resource that would diversify their incomes and help them become more economically stable. And so our pursuit of a coffee and a price worthy of it led us into livestock.
Four years and four herds later, we’re committed as ever to this unusual venture. The Nemba coffees are truly remarkable. They've been standouts in Burundi's Cup of Excellence competitions and have been a favorite of ours for years. We never anticipated getting into the goat trade, but we're honored to be building a deeper connection to the farmers in the Nemba community. So here's to heading into uncharted territory and finding what you didn't know you were looking for.
For our 2021 release, we were able to bring in both washed and natural process coffees from the Nemba Washing Station and it's enlightening to taste the nuances of this stunning coffee through the lens of processing technique.
This year's Nemba Natural is an absolute fruit bomb with notes of densely sweet, blackberry currant and is balanced with bright lime-like acidity.
Kayanza, Burundi
Wonderstate Coffee
Since 2005, we've dedicated ourselves to the pursuit of spectacular coffees that spark connection, inspire curiosity, and build integrity across communities.
For us, great coffee has to serve a collective future. At Wonderstate, our passion for exceptional beans and (some might say) obsession with terroir––the way the land speaks through a coffee––is matched by our passion and unwavering dedication to our community of farmers and farmer cooperatives. From leading the industry in fair compensation for farmers, to supporting resilient agriculture and innovative ways of doing business, we’re working to do our part.
And that isn't just talk. In 2015, we became one of the first 100% solar powered coffee roasteries in the world. And in 2017, we announced the highest published minimum price guarantee to farmers, more than 80% above the Fair Trade conventional minimum price and over 50% higher than Fair Trade organic prices.
Our roastery is tucked amidst the rolling hills and valleys of the Driftless Region, a rare topographic wonder in the Midwest. Our founders, Denise & TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes, were both drawn to this small community of 4,000 to set roots and raise their families. We may have outgrown the old train depot where we first roasted our beans, but we’re still as committed as ever to the communities that make our work possible.
The farmers who cultivate and harvest our coffee may feel seemingly distant from this place. But, like them, we also live surrounded by fields and growing crops. Where the stars blink bright and the rivers cut oxbows. From our hometown of Viroqua, to the rural communities where our coffee farmers live and work, to the vibrant neighborhoods our Wonderstate cafes call home across the state, honoring a connection to place and to the people that define it is at the heart of what we do.
