LONG MILES COFFEE PROJECT
We are seriously excited about this washed coffee from Long Miles. It’s a coffee with quiet confidence - clean, structured and beautifully composed from start to finish. Black tea and grapefruit set the framework, while raspberry and brown sugar bring softness and sweetness. Everything sits exactly where it should. A coffee that feels completely at home in the cup - and shows just how good coffee can be when craftsmanship is allowed to shine.
We have been buying coffee from Long Miles for 12 years now, but the last time we released a coffee from Ninga Hill was in 2022. Being back with not just one, but two coffees from this hill in our Farmers series is something we’ve genuinely been looking forward to.
Coffee facts
Producer: Long Miles Coffee Project
Origin: Kayanza, Burundi
Washing station: Ninga Washing Station
Altitude: 1800 m.a.s.l.
Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Washed
Flavours: Black tea, grapefruit, raspberry and soft brown sugar sweetness
LONG MILES COFFEE PROJECT
Long Miles Coffee Project is one of our longest and most meaningful relationships. A collaboration built on trust, persistence and a shared belief that coffee can - and must - be done better.
Ben and Kristy Carlson moved to Burundi in 2011 after seeing both injustice and poor farming practices shaping the country’s newly privatised coffee industry. At the same time, they recognised something else: coffees with enormous potential that were rarely paid for at their true value. When they also saw how difficult it was for roasters around the world to access consistently great coffees from Burundi, Long Miles Coffee Project was born.
Today, Long Miles works directly with over 14,000 smallholder coffee-farming families on traceable hills in Burundi, Uganda and Kenya. In Burundi, they operate three washing stations - Bukeye, Heza and Ninga - processing coffee from around a dozen distinct hills, each with its own expression and identity.
Ninga Washing Station sits high above the Nkokoma River. It was built after Long Miles realised that farmers from Ninga Hill were travelling long distances to reach washing stations with fair scales and fair payment. By bringing processing closer to the farms, the time between picking and processing is shortened - improving cup quality while making daily life more sustainable for producers.
Coffee production at Long Miles follows two paths: owning and operating washing stations and model farms, and building long-term partnerships with cooperatives and independent producers. Across both models, the commitment is year-round - through Coffee Scouts, Farmer Field Schools, Coffee Kids Camp and other community initiatives.
Coffee is never just coffee here. It is relationship, responsibility and long-term thinking. For us, Long Miles is a clear example of how better coffee becomes reality - from plant to cup.