Burundi in the World of Direct Trade and Specialty Coffee

Abstract

The focus of this thesis is to explore how Burundian coffee producers and traders perceive direct trade influences on producer’s wellbeing. Direct trade in coffee is still a newly establishing approach to the coffee trade and has not been studied in any significant way. Current literature about direct trade practices and its effects come from the companies using this approach. This means that the most significant proportion of those working in direct trade coffee production — the producers — have not yet been included in the discourse. The following will present the views of some Burundian producers, international traders and direct trade coffee buying companies working all throughout the production chain and coming from diverse cultural, socio-economic and political backgrounds. They represent some of the major stakeholders in Burundi’s coffee subsector.