How is Rwandan Coffee_Rwanda Coffee Bean Cultivation_Rwanda Coffee Processing Methods

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Introduction to Rwanda: The Land of a Thousand Hills

Rwanda is bordered by Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, Zaire to the west and northwest, and Uganda to the north. The country is mountainous, with six volcanoes, twenty-three lakes, and countless rivers, making it a landlocked African nation with significant ecological diversity and beautiful natural scenery. It is known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills."

Ideal Growing Conditions

Rwanda is one of the few countries in the world that can fully enjoy the harmony between soil, altitude, and climate.

• Fertile acidic volcanic soil
• High altitude of 1500-2000 meters
• Rainfall of 900-2200mm
• Suitable cool temperatures of 18-22°C

Government Support

Fortunately, starting in 2000, the Rwandan government took active measures by establishing coffee production cooperatives and washing stations throughout the country, providing farmers with technical guidance and financial support.

Additionally, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) assisted in developing local farmer cooperatives, allowing Rwanda's coffee production to gradually recover, with much of it being of excellent quality! The Abakundakawa Cooperative and the neighboring Musasa Co-op. are both fine examples.

Founded in 2005, the Abakundakawa Cooperative is located about 30 kilometers northwest of the capital Kigali and currently operates two washing stations. It has 1,961 coffee-growing farmers, with 46% of the cooperative's members being women.

• This is very distinctive in Rwanda's economic activities and coffee industry. The group of female farmers within the cooperative is called "hingakawa," meaning "let's grow coffee." This unique group consists of about 150 women who are extremely careful and meticulous in coffee selection and processing, fully demonstrating that women can also lead and produce high-quality coffee.
• They reinvest the profits earned from selling high-quality coffee (about two containers per year) back into their families and surrounding coffee cooperatives.
• They use the funds to purchase goats for milk production, then sell goat milk locally, using the sales profits to invest in coffee production and train other female growers involved in coffee production.
• They also help 80-100 students pay tuition fees, provide healthcare services to every community member, while also investing in other women-related activities (such as sewing services, which women consider another source of income).
• They plan to use the additional income from selling high-quality coffee to continue expanding school scale and increase investment in coffee farms.

Strengthening Post-Conflict Management

Following the outbreak of the Rwandan civil war, thousands of widows found themselves solely responsible for supporting their families.

Within the cooperative, there is a special group of female growers known as "hingakawa," meaning "let's grow coffee." Composed of about 150 female coffee farmers, they carefully select and process their own coffee beans. The female members of the Abakundakawa Cooperative are responsible for overseeing all operational processes on the farms (from production to sales).

From on-site roasting and cupping, to using income for tuition fees and investing in community development, to transitioning to purely organic processing methods, they carefully select and process their coffee beans to prove that women can also achieve high-quality coffee production. This was the first women's coffee production project (Café Femenino Program) born on the African continent in 2008.

48-Hour Extended Fermentation

Rwandan coffee uses a long fermentation technique to ensure coffee quality, a technique that has also been adopted by other cooperatives.

The cooperative is committed to leading farmers to produce high-quality berries with rich and complete content through organic cultivation methods. At the processing plant, they use a 48-hour soaking time, which is twice as long as normal washed processing methods, to add distinctive characteristics to the green beans.

This is complemented by rack-drying, where significant manpower is invested to remove defective beans that may have resulted from prolonged soaking or other reasons.

On-site Roasting and Cupping

To effectively avoid the "potato defect," the cooperative has unique local resources for roasting and cupping, and they use organic processing methods. As a result, they have also received technical and leadership training from the Rwandan government and other development agencies.

Rwanda's coffee production has been rising year by year. In 2010, 2011, and 2012 for three consecutive years, the Abakundakawa Cooperative was listed on Rwanda's Cup of Excellence (COE) rankings, which is the most significant affirmation!

The Significance of Coffee for the Rwandan People

Coffee means different things to everyone - it might represent a sense of ritual or a pursuit of quality.

They hope to increase coffee exports to drive national economic development, and also hope that the two formerly hostile ethnic groups, the Hutu and Tutsi, can reconcile their enmity by jointly growing coffee and work together to build a better tomorrow.

Coffee carries the hopes of the Rwandan people.

Coffee is hope.

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