Ninga Hill, Burundi — July 2025

JULY SUBSCRIPTION

Hello all,

This is the first time I (Ben) was not involved in picking this month's showcase coffee for subscription. I've been (and still am!) on a holiday with my family.

Ninga Hill, Burundi

Josh — pretty much our only other roastery employee — picked this coffee. It's an easy pick because of how wild and fun the coffee is, but he has been the eyes and ears on the ground, and I want to highlight him for a second because he brings another mind to our team. This results in us having a more diverse and comprehensive approach to coffee, because he also cares and thinks deeply about it.

Building understanding and growth with employees is a step that is just as important to us as our coffee-buying and relationship philosophies. It is all under the umbrella of relationship-building — the cornerstone of small, steady compounding movements towards being a better coffee roastery.

Ninga Hill was built off the dream of a small family that moved to Burundi to build better processing stations (wet-mills) to pay farmers more fairly. Long Miles is an inspiration to us in the way that they care, elevate, and empower their community. We love roasting their coffee because when we put our heart into our end of the process, you get something really special.

Can you taste it … I don't know, but I can assure you it is there. I feel it every time I see the Long Miles hessian coffee bags. I feel it when Jordy, the importer's (Osito) representative, drops us an email and new harvest samples. I get that feeling of community when we share the coffee and the way it is thoughtfully brought to life.

So, when Josh said that our subscription members need to taste Ninga Hill, I didn't think twice. He knows the story and knows when the coffee is tasting at its best and its story will be told most clearly.

Hope you have been enjoying it!

Kindest regards,
Ben