From left, cuppers Sherri Johns and Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian.
Fine coffees grown by women in Burundi will be featured in a North American road show led by two veteran cuppers this summer. The tour will give roasters and café owners the chance to cup 15 distinctive coffees sourced from farms sited at altitudes ranging from 1,200 to 1,950 meters (3,900 to 6,400 feet) above sea level in this small country in East Africa.
Grown in volcanic soils, these Burundi beans feature a sparkling acidity, balanced with fruit and floral characteristics. The cuppings will be hosted by two leaders of the specialty coffee industry: Sherri Johns of Whole Cup Coffee Consulting and Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian of JNP Coffee.
Destinations on the "Burundi on the Road" tour include New York City, Toronto, Montreal, Houston, Kansas City, San Diego, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.
Sherri Johns, known around the world for her cupping savvy, started out as a barista in San Francisco decades ago before becoming a coffee educator, consultant, and entrepreneur. She led the judging at Cup of Excellence competitions (COE) from 2002–2017.
Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, who met Johns as a fellow member of a COE jury in 2015, was born in Burundi and educated in the United States. Niyonzima-Aroian founded JNP Coffee in 2012 after a long career in telecommunications. Her company works closely with farmers in Burundi to share best practices for high-quality coffee cultivation and specialty processing. JNP Coffee has its own premium sourcing program, called Dushime, which supports 11,000 women coffee farmers and their families.
The tour schedule is as follows:
- June 28 Brooklyn, NY Pulley Collective
- June 29 Montreal, Canada Canadian Roasting Society
- June 30 Toronto, Canada Hatch Coffee
- July 17 Los Angeles, CA Lab Coffee and Roastery, 1–3 p.m.
- July 18 Kansas City, MO Brewed Behavior, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
- July 19 Houston, TX Greenway Coffee Roasting, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
- July 26 Portland, OR Buckman Coffee Factory, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
- July 27 Seattle, WA (Location to be announced)
- July 28 Vancouver, Canada (Location to be announced)
To learn more about these coffees and the women-owned businesses involved in the road show, visit jnpcoffee.com.