Meet the Women Behind Your Rwandan Coffee

The United Nations named 2026 as International Year of the Woman Farmer to shine a light on the essential – but often under-recognized – role of women in agrifood systems. Sucafina is marking the year by celebrating some of the amazing women who work across different roles in the coffee supply chain, from growing coffee and managing a farm to quality control.

We’ve already visited Uganda, Guatemala and Colombia, and this month we’re in Rwanda with two coffee farmers and two Rwacof (Sucafina in Rwanda) team members. They share what their daily life is really like, what they love about their job and what advice they would give to young women who want to work in the sector.

Mushimiyimana Console – Coffee Farmer

What does a day in your life look like?

I’m married and have three children: two boys and a girl. I’m also a coffee farmer and I’ve been working with Rwacof for 4 years. I supply them with coffee and they pay me, which enables me to improve my everyday life. For example, I was able to buy livestock and the animals have now reproduced. It is a great blessing.

When I wake up, I pray, make the bed and then sweep the compound. After that, I grab my hoe and go to the field to take care of my coffee trees. At the moment, I am mulching my trees because we are experiencing a lot of sunshine and this helps me to maintain good yields.

What do you like most about your job? 

Through coffee farming, I am able to get a good harvest and provide for my children. When I take good care of the coffee trees, they give me a good yield and that makes me very happy.

What’s your advice to women who want to work in coffee? 

The advice I have for my fellow women who are still young is that when you work well on your coffee, it helps you develop yourself. You are able to dress well – you can get a kitenge [a traditional Rwandan dress] to wear and shoes – and you can dress your children and develop your family as well.

Veneranda Mujawayezu – Coffee Farmer

What does a day in your life look like?

I’m a coffee farmer and I’ve been working with Rwacof since it started here in Kibirizi. In the morning, I wake up and clean the house. I then prepare myself and plan the day’s work and walk over to the coffee farm. I have people I work with, and we start at around 7:00 in the morning. When there is a lot of work, during the rainy season, I have workers to help.

We take care of the coffee trees, removing the weeds and the suckers. We also look for mulch, which isn’t always very easy to find; sometimes we have to buy it. Rwacof trained us on stumping and pruning coffee trees using a secateur, and we help guide others based on what we learned.

What do you like most about your job? 

In coffee farming, I am very happy when the coffee ripens and I can harvest it. The harvest makes me very happy. We also get excited when we receive a good price for our coffee.

What’s your advice to women who want to work in coffee? 

I encourage all girls and women to participate in coffee farming because it’s a crop that brings in money. You can earn money from coffee and start big projects that help you improve your life.

Thanks to my income from coffee, I’ve been able to buy and rear livestock. I bought a calf, which I expect to be producing milk in the near future. I am also able to pay the Mutuelle de Santé [health insurance] for me and my children and to buy whatever my children need. When a child tells you, “I really want to eat this,” I have no fear in buying it for them, thanks to coffee farming.

Esther Ishimwe – Dry Mill Production Manager, Rwacof

What does a day in your job look like?

I’ve been at Sucafina since 2023. I joined as an intern and gradually grew into my current role of Dry Mill Production Manager at Rwacof.

My day usually starts with a round-check and a small recap with my team. On a daily basis, I oversee the planning and dry mill operations and make sure I fulfil the production targets by ensuring that the stock is good and the machines are producing the right quality, as well as supervising the team.

What do you like most about your job? 

It’s that I get to see the whole process come to pass, from receiving the green parchment to it being exported. And because each day and each bag is different, it gives me the opportunity to be more proactive.

What’s your advice to women who want to work in coffee? 

Don’t be afraid to learn or to ask questions. Be flexible and take on challenges. Because even when you step into a place where women can be underrepresented, your confidence and your consistency will speak up for you.

Gisele Rita Kayigeme – Lab Supervisor, Rwacof

What does a day in your job look like?

I’ve been working for Sucafina for 10 years, and I’m currently Lab Supervisor in the Quality Control team at Rwacof. My day starts with a cup of coffee, obviously 😊, and then looking through my emails and checking pending tasks.

I then work on green grading, cupping and preparing samples for clients to different destinations and training ProfilePrint [an AI-driven green grading tool] on different coffee profiles.

What do you like most about your job? 

What I find most interesting about my job is the way every step leaves its mark in the coffee value chain from variety to elevation, harvesting, processing, grading and roasting.

What’s your advice to women who want to work in coffee? 

Be positive, be open to different opportunities, be committed and consistent. The sky is the limit!

Interested in learning more about or booking coffee from our Rwanda supply chains? Get in touch with your trader to explore our offerings.