Burundi is listed as the poorest country in the world. Almost 65% of the population lives below the poverty line, and 48% of the national income comes from foreign aid. Burundi’s economy is heavily reliant on the agricultural sector, that employs 80% of the population. From all the agricultural production, coffee is the primary export product (96% Arabica-coffee) and plays a vital role in the Burundian economy. It provides important income for the roughly 600,000 families (about 40% of the population) who grow it.The altitude, soil composition and climate in Burundi are very favourable for coffee growing. This results in excellent quality coffee from the region. However, coffee supply has declined significantly over the past 15 years, and farmers are working on increasingly declining plots.The 'Sustainable Coffee Sourcing in Burundi' project aims to support coffee farmers in Burundi to improve their livelihoods in a sustainable and economic viable way. It builds upon the so-called Akawa project, an existing partnership between Supremo and SUCCAM (local green coffee exporter), that resulted in the successful UTZ/Rainforest Alliance certification of more than 11,084 coffee farmers.Pelican Rouge Coffee Roasters now aims to further expand the partnership and support the implementation of complementary project activities in Burundi. The target groups of the project are coffee farmers, their families and communities in Burundi in the Mumirwa region. The project has a beyond-certification focus and aims to work towards a living income and increase the climate resilience of coffee farmers, and to improve access to clean water on the community level.Next to this, Pelican Rouge is committed to direct investment in the supply chain and aims to commit to guaranteed uptake of coffee from Burundi and to include Burundian coffee as a standard origin in its blends. This enables the Burundian coffee farmers to gain a stronger position on the global coffee market and increase their income.