Horsham Coffee Roaster - Congo Latumba

Latumba washing station is located along the shores of Lake Kivu, one of the Great Lakes of Africa. The west side of the Congo borders with Rwanda and shares an almost identically climate and soil quality to the co-operatives that we buy from located near to Kibuye in Rwanda.

Latumba washing station has 1400 members who grow the Blue Mountain varietal, a sub-species of Typica grown extensively in Jamaica and Kona, Hawaii. The varietal is favoured because of its resistance to coffee berry disease and its ability to thrive at high altitudes.

The facility was started in 2014 by a Belgian NGO (Comequi). They have been working in the region since 2009 helping to train and educate coffee farmers in coffee growing, tree maintenance and good harvesting practice. Many of the trees planted by the farmers were given to them for free as part of a development program in the region. They have encouraged and distributed several very good varietals to help improve cup quality. The small hold farmers will harvest and delivery the cherry to the washing station. After delivery it is de-pulped and then undergoes an initial wet fermentation for 12-18 hours before being flowed through channels where the coffee is separated according to density. The coffee then undergoes another soaking period of 12 hours before being dried on raised African beds for 12-16 days depending on the weather. Although not certified, all the coffee grown in this region is organic and no pesticides or artificial fertilisers are used on any of the trees. After drying the coffee is transported to the Coffelac dry mill in Goma where it is rested and milled. The long journey of 20 days can then begin from East Central Africa out to the Mombasa for shipment.