About This Coffee
In order to reach Kanyege washing station, the last kilometer or so must be traveled on foot. The path is lined with plots of healthy Bourbon trees set on a hilly landscape. Between December and May the branches of the trees are weighed down with cherry that becomes redder and redder as the season goes on. Soon, those perfectly red cherries will be picked and delivered to Kanyege washing station. Cherry delivered to Kanyege comes from farms at altitudes between 1,800-2,100 meters above sea level. RWACOF (Sucafina in Rwanda) purchased the station in late 2017.
The warm days and cool nights of Nyamasheke District allow coffee cherries to mature slowly, developing greater sweetness and complexity. Benefiting from favorable growing conditions and meticulous post-harvest processing, this 100% Bourbon Fully washed lot delivers a delicate cup. Expect an array of floral and black tea, complemented by crips citrus and honey sweetness. Plus, purchases of this lot contribute to our Beyond Flagship project in Rwanda, which is designed to help farmers close the living income gap
Cultivation
Kanyege washing station is part of RWACOF’s farm management project. The project trains casual workers in Good Agricultural Practices and connects them with farmers. Workers can help farmers with activities such as pruning, fertilzer and pesticide application, and harvesting. During the season, casual workers are paid by RWACOF. Then, when farmers deliver their cherry to Kanyege washing station or another RWACOF station, they repay RWACOF for the labor they received during the season.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked by farmers and delivered to Kanyege washing station. At intake, the station floats all cherry to remove any low-density cherry. Then, the high-density cherry is hand sorted to remove any visible defects.
After intake, cherry is pulped using a disc pulper before being placed in fermentation tanks to dry ferment for 12-16 hours. Following fermentation, wet parchment is placed in thin layers on tables to sundry. Here, it is sifted regularly to ensure even drying. The parchment will be covered during the hottest times of the day and during periods of rain.
RWACOF (Sucafina in Rwanda)
In concert with our sustainability partner, Kahawatu Foundation, RWACOF invests heavily in yield improvements, farmer training, quality improvement projects, environmental sustainability and other ways to increase farmer livelihoods.
RWACOF’s Farmer Development Program in partnership with the London School of Economics (LSE) supports farmers with training in Good Agricultural Practices and access to loans, farm inputs and farm services. A new soil health initiative uses soil analysis data that RWACOF collected to identify farms where soil is too acidic. Lime, along with education about application, is distributed to these farmers to help improve soil quality. Additionally, seedling nurseries provide up to 4 million seedlings per year to help farmers renovate their rootstock.
RWACOF also has many projects that are designed to support farmers’ overall livelihoods. They focus on gender equality and support several women’s cooperatives by helping them access land, seedlings and reach a market for their coffees. They offer trainings on financial literacy and alternative income-generating activities.
On the environmental side, RWACOF has worked with partners to help install solar panels at 2 washing stations that are off the electrical grid. RWACOF’s dry mill already have a 50 kilowatt-per-hour solar panel set up on their roof. They’ve also mapped carbon emissions in their coffee supply chain and are starting projects to half their emissions per kg of coffee. Two ways they’re accomplishing this is by facilitating a transition from inorganic to organic fertilizer and further improve waste (water and pulp) management at the wet mills. They’re also working with Trade in Space to map deforestation in the supply chain so that they can begin to work with farmers to reduce deforestation and improve forested areas in the supply chain.
Above all, RWACOF's exceptional attention to detail during post-harvest activities ensures the best quality coffee possible. From the moment cherry enters the washing station until it is milled and bagged for export, RWACOF keeps stringent quality controls in place. They know, as we do, that high-quality coffee is crucial for delivering benefit all along the supply chain.
Coffee in Rwanda
Despite its turbulent history, today Rwanda is one of the specialty coffee world’s darlings – for good reason! Our sister company in Rwanda does an amazing job of bringing the best that Rwanda has to offer to roasters around the world.
German missionaries and settlers brought coffee to Rwanda in the early 1900s. Largescale coffee production was established during the 1930 & 1940s by the Belgian colonial government. Coffee production continued after the Belgian colonists left. By 1970, coffee had become the single largest export in Rwanda and accounted for 70% of total export revenue. Coffee was considered so valuable that, beginning in 1973, it was illegal to tear coffee trees out of the ground.
Between 1989 and 1993, the breakdown of the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) caused the global price to plummet. The Rwandan government and economy took a hard hit from low global coffee prices. The 1994 genocide and its aftermath led to a complete collapse of coffee exports and vital USD revenue, but the incredible resilience of the Rwandan people is evident in the way the economy and stability have recovered since then.
Modern Rwanda is considered one of the most stable countries in the region. Since 2003, its economy has grown by 7-8% per year and coffee production has played a key role in this economic growth. Coffee has also played a role in Rwanda's significant advancements towards gender equality. New initiatives that cater to women and focus on helping them equip themselves with the tools and knowledge for farming have been changing the way women view themselves and interact with the world around them.
Today, smallholders propel the industry in Rwanda forward. The country doesn’t have any large estates. Most coffee is grown by the 400,000+ smallholders, who own less than a quarter of a hectare. The majority of Rwanda’s coffee production is Arabica. Bourbon variety plants comprise 95% of all coffee trees cultivated in Rwanda.