SCA Training Camp — Bujumbura, Burundi – Sensory and Barista skills

SCA is supporting a training camp from March 9th to March 14th 2026. Before we talk about what happened inside the training room, let’s talk about where we are.

Burundi. The Heart of Africa. Named for its heart-shaped silhouette on the map — and for good reason. This tiny, landlocked country is punching far above its weight in the world of specialty coffee.

Here are the numbers:

~150,000 bags (60 kg) produced in 2024/25 — up 7% from last year, after years of gradual decline. A sign of revival.

~800,000 smallholder farmers, working across 60,000 hectares of volcanic highland soil. Average farm size? 50 to 250 trees. Every cherry is picked by hand.

Grown at altitudes between 1,200 and 2,000 m.a.s.l., across key regions: Kayanza, Ngozi, Muyinga, Kirundo — each with its own distinct terroir and cup character.

100% Arabica. Dominated by heritage Red Bourbon, with local sub-varieties Jackson and Mibirizi that have adapted over decades to Burundian conditions.

83% fully washed — double fermentation is common, giving the coffees that signature clarity and vibrant acidity.

Burundi regularly competes in — and wins — the Cup of Excellence. In 2015, a Kayanza lot scored 91.09 points. These are world-class coffees.

In 2023, Burundi exported $44.1 million in coffee — to Germany, the US, Sweden, Italy, and France. Coffee is the 2nd largest national export.

 

This is the land where we’re training future coffee professionals for SCA Sensory and baristas skills. Where quality isn’t a marketing claim — it’s built into the soil, the altitude, and the hands of nearly a million farmers.

Ludovic Maillard from Jobin (France) will teach Sensory skills while Ennio Cantergiani from l’Académie du Café -Switzerland will teach Barista skills during all the week. We will use French and English as participants from outside Burundi will join this SCA training camp.

 

#SCACoffee #BaristaTraining #Burundi #SpecialtyCoffee #BurundiCoffee #CoffeeOrigin #CoffeeEducation #QGrader #SeedToCup #CoffeeIsLife #HeartOfAfrica #CoffeeFarming #BaristaCamp #ArabicaCoffee #CupOfExcellence