Mizero Thierry - Long Miles Coffee as a Washing Station Manager

Thierry grew up on Campazi/Mikuba Hill, born into a loving and educated family. His parents, both teachers, raised him in a stable environment filled with learning, discipline, and dreams for the future. As a young student, Thierry stood out. He was not only bright in class but also a national-level athlete, bringing home medals in marathons and sprint races and helping his school earn national recognition.

In 1993, his life took a devastating turn. When ethnic violence broke out, Thierry lost nearly everything. Fourteen male members of his family, his father, uncles, and cousins, were killed. He and a few others were spared at the last moment by arriving military forces. He remembers standing near the place where his father and over 120 neighbors were executed. That memory shaped the years that followed.

Thierry spent his youth in a displaced persons camp, facing danger again in 1996 during a brutal attack on the camp.

Once more, he narrowly survived. Surrounded by people who had harmed his family, Thierry lived with pain, mistrust, and emotional wounds that took years to begin healing.

In 2014, Thierry joined Long Miles Coffee as a scout. It was a small role at first, working on the same hill where he was born. But quickly, he grew. In 2015, he became a Scout Supervisor, and by 2017 he was promoted again—this time to Assistant Manager at Heza Washing Station, focusing on quality.

Today, Thierry leads operations at both the washing station and dry mill. He oversees every part of the process—from cherry collection and fermentation to milling and final bagging—ensuring that only the best, traceable coffee is sent to roasters around the world.

More than a job, Long Miles gave Thierry a space to heal. Being part of a team, building trust again, and working with purpose helped him release the heavy burden he had carried for so long. He’ll never forget what he lived through, but being surrounded by people who supported and believed in him helped open the door to forgiveness. That forgiveness, he says, felt like finally putting down the weight of decades of pain.

Thierry’s work has also brought personal stability. He is now married and raising four children. He’s built a home, purchased land, and is preparing a better future for his family. Working at Long Miles didn’t only give him a job. It helped him heal emotionally, find purpose again, and move forward from the pain of his past. His life was deeply affected by violence and loss, but Long Miles played a big role in helping him rebuild it.