Kalico Mama, Burundi

Women Produced
The Queen of Coffee
Anyone who has been fortunate enough to meet Angele Ciza, the owner of Kahawa
Link Company (Kalico, for short), is not likely to forget her. In 2012, Angele and
Consolata, two friends (and experienced business women) decided to go into the coffee
business together. They purchased seven washing stations that had been part of the
old government-run Sogestal program, with the idea of working in close partnership with
growers so they could process and export Burundi’s best coffees. A few years ago
Angele and Consolate parted ways, and Angele took over running Kalico. The pride and
satisfaction Angele and Alex, her son, take in the company comes through in the
excitement they have for forging friendships with their buyers.
The washing stations are in the Kirundo and Muyinga Provinces in North-Eastern
Burundi, each serving 1,000-3,000 small scale farmers who grow primarily the bourbon
varietal.  They wet ferment the coffee for 12-18 hours, then do a 1-hour soak, the wash
and pre-dry and sort before drying the coffee on raised beds. To improve the quality of
the coffee produced, Angele knew she needed to start with the education of the
producers, so they began with outreach to ensure best practices from nurseries to
picking. As the quality and value of the coffee increases her team is investing in
additional training, environmental protection, inputs, micro-credit, micro-insurance, and
social infrastructures in partnership with the producer organizations that deliver to their
washing stations.
Sadly, Angele passed away this year on August 18 th , but her legacy lives on through the
commitment to quality and community she established in her team and community
leaders.
Score: 88.00
Notes: Fresh peach, green grape, brown sugar, dark chocolate full body and bright
acidity