In February 2023, Maison Soleil sets down its bags in Cameroon, in the North-West Grassfields, to meet the cooperative Les Hauts de Boyo. This partnership was born from a meeting at the Douala coffee fair in 2022, where Camille Vasseur was won over by a micro-lot both fruity and spiced. A year later, the first container arrives in Marseille.
A mountain terroir
The cooperative is located in the Boyo division, at an altitude of between 1,500 and 1,900 metres. The cool, humid climate of the Grassfields is ideal for the Java and improved Typica varieties grown by the cooperative’s 175 producers. While the washed process is practised there, it is above all the honey process that has made Les Hauts de Boyo’s name: part of the mucilage is kept on the bean during drying, creating a syrupy sweetness and a rare aromatic complexity.
At the head of the cooperative since 2020, Emmanuel Fonkou took up the family torch after the death of his father, the structure’s founder. An agronomist by training, he chose to deliberately limit volumes to preserve the quality of the honey lots. That standard makes Les Hauts de Boyo a modest partner in tonnage, but also one of the most precious.
From the fair to the first delivery
After the Douala meeting, several samples were exchanged with Thomas Reinach. The profile won him over immediately: fresh raspberry, soft cinnamon, pink pepper. The first container arrives in 2023, with the same guarantees as our other partnerships: a floor price 30% above the world market price and 40% pre-financing. If the quality holds over the season, a multi-year contract will be signed in 2024.
This two-step approach — delivery first, long-term commitment second — is deliberate. It allows the cooperative and us to check that logistics, quality and the relationship hold over a full campaign before sealing a multi-year contract.
A sweetness that surprises
The Cameroon — Les Hauts de Boyo is roasted medium to balance the fruity aromas and spiced touches. In the cup, it surprises with its syrupy texture and length. It is the kind of coffee that converts those who still think French-speaking Africa can only produce bold robustas.
With Les Hauts de Boyo, Maison Soleil asserts its vision: favouring micro-lots, rewarding excellence and telling the story of origins that large-scale trading does not explore enough.
How to enjoy it : in a conical dripper or a French press, to preserve the body and sweetness of the honey process.