Heres what Raw Materials the importer of this coffee have to say about it:

The Anoxic Water Pillow technique is a creative use of basic materials to make a complex process so simple that it can be utilised anywhere in the world.

A tub or tank, some plastic sheeting and a little water. It seems almost too simplistic, but it works (and like all simple things are the result of years of trial and error).

First, attach a tap or make a small hole in the bottom of your tub, this allows some of the fermentation juices to escape helping to maintain the fermentation substrate and adds clarity to the acidity..

Next, add your coffee, as cherry or pulped depending on whether you’re going to dry as a natural or washed coffee, floated to remove lower density beans.

Take the plastic sheeting and place it over the coffee allowing it to extend above the top of the tub.

Fill the rest of the tub with water. 

Covering the plastic with water to create a vacuum seal

The sheet provides a barrier between the water and the coffee and is thin enough to allow the water to fill the shape of the tub, forming a pillow of water above the coffee. In doing so the water can serve two functions; firstly it creates an anoxic fermentation environment, one low in free molecular oxygen. Secondly, the water in this state acts as a large heatsink, to draw heat away from the fermenting coffee, which regulates the risk of developing off flavours and also aids in prolonging shelf life. 

More Info

Izuba meaning “sun” in Kirundi, is located in Runinya, Kabarore Commune, of Kayanza Province. The Izuba washing station is set close to a nearby river, providing a vital and regular freshwater source for coffee processing. The station is managed by Ntama Appolinaire, who works alongside Prosper Merrimee, the operational manager of RM Burundi. Izuba employs 2 full-time staff and around 250 seasonal workers, who are all local to the station. Izuba is situated near to the Kibira national park, where the soil and climate are paired well for fantastic coffee production.

Kigeri, Ryamukona, and Mugoyi …

are the three hills (collines) surrounding Izuba and the three areas in which coffee is collected or delivered from. Each volume of cherry sold to Izuba is recorded by producer and hillside, showing the minute variances in profile from locations surrounding the washing station. In 2020 we bought coffee from 1482 producers, 1169 of which were male and 313 female (around 26%). We processed 453,000kg of cherry, the max capacity of the station is 800,000kg.

Payment

The station aims to provide premiums where possible to not only the farmers but the station staff also. The employees were paid 25% higher than other local washing stations and 33% more than the national average salary. Producers are paid government-set prices for coffee cherries, in 2020 these were:

Cherry A (ripe) 550 BIF/kg

Cherry B (underripe, floaters etc) 275 BIF/KG

Producers are paid for cherry on two set payment dates in the year, which are also set by the government. The first is usually in April, very early in the harvest, and the second at the end of the harvest. Farmers essentially choose which station they will sell to that year through the first payment then deliver there for the whole season. At the end of the season third payments are made based on the quality and final sale price of the coffee. Making these three payments on time is a key concern for producers and one of Izuba's primary goals in supporting producers. 

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