Kanzu’s coffee comes from the Nyamasheke growing region in South Central Lake Kivu. It’s high up in the mountains around 2000 meters above sea level and features green, lushly-forested mountainsides. We have chosen to increase our presence in Nyamasheke district over surrounding areas because of the sheer quality of coffee in that subregion. Bordering Congo on the west, it offers a range of altitudes all the way up to 2200 masl and beyond. It’s also home to the biodiverse Nyungwe forest, where rainfall ranges from 1300 to 1400 millimeters per year. The soil is volcanic and rich. All of those factors combine to bring us unparalleled quality, which (among other things) pushed us to double down on Kanzu over the years. The Nyungwe National Forest protects Kanzu’s biodiversity and prevents deforestation. The forest collects cloud cover, generating a special misty microclimate that slows cherry maturation and protects the coffee from climate extremes. It’s right above Lake Kivu and the view looks down on the watershed, all the way down to the lake itself. Kanzu is on the downslope right below this forest, at an extremely high elevation, and we’ve always seen how climate plays a huge role in the flavor development of these coffees. The cherries here ripen a lot later than most of the country and are frequently one of the last harvests of the season. The unique microclimate, meticulous harvest and processing, and constancy of community here keep us coming back every year. Kanzu washing station is located at 1836 meters above sea level with great access to the hills covered with coffee and excellent agricultural practices. Kanzu is able to produce 4 to 6 containers of excellent coffee per year. We have built a strong relationship with the producers of the area over time. To date, Kanzu is working with more than 535 farmers and those farmers are also registered under certification programs like Rainforest Alliance and trained in best practices to help them continue producing the best possible coffee. At the washing station the cherries are sorted by flotation to carefully remove not just unripes but also any potential insect damage. After pulping, sorting happens in the pre-drying area. This phase is called skin drying, where they pre-dry the skin of coffee so that it won’t crack under full sun conditions. During skin drying they sort out any further visible defects.