The Humure washing station, where 1,500 smallholder 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 in 2018. This is our sixth 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. 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 who comprise 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. Baho's seedling distribution provided 50,000 coffee seedling trees to their producers. Last 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 constantly visits to consult on tree health, provide fertilizer, or teach inter-cropping strategies and professional development in specialty coffee.

The natural lots produced at Humure are stunners. To develop the rich, complex flavors in this coffee, coffee cherries are delivered 2-3 hours after picking, anaerobically sealed for fermentation, 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 result is an alluring cup of coffee with notes of cherry cola, white grape, and subtle hints of white wine. We recommend a 1:16 brew ratio, filtered water at 208-210℉, a medium grind, and a 3-3.5 minute brew cycle.