Burundi Coffee Farmer Story | Rosato Rugoke

This is Rosato and he’s a Burundi coffee farmer…When he looked into my camera lens, I felt like I saw his entire soul just hanging out in the open. Like many Burundians, Rosato is not sure how old he is. He thinks that he might be 85. Rosato is one of the founding members of the Mpemba Coffee Cooperative. His father wasn’t alive when coffee was being produced in Burundi, which makes him a first generation coffee farmer. Rosato learned about coffee during the monarchy, possibly around 1932. He began with just a few trees and now he has around 400 coffee trees. It has been a long road, keeping his trees healthy throughout the war.Rosato is not alone in this life, he shares it with a wife and 4 children. He hopes his children will continue to follow in his steps, as coffee farmers.

Hasselblad 501 C with proxers, Fuji400 desaturated

Behind the scenes, Neo helps photograph Rosato. Mamiya 645 Pro TL , Fuji400 desaturated