The Story of Rwandan Coffee Processing Stations: The Cultivation Environment and Flavor Characteristics of Gishek Specialty Coffee

The other day, FrontStreet Coffee discovered Rwandan coffee beans, which come not from a specific estate but from the Gashaki washing station. FrontStreet Coffee was very interested in this phenomenon. Could it be similar to Kenyan coffee, where small coffee farmers deliver their coffee to washing stations?

After researching, FrontStreet Coffee found that this is indeed the case. Many coffee farmers in Rwanda are unable to create large independent washing stations like major coffee estates around the world. Most farmers only grow coffee as a part-time job, typically using the rest of their farms to grow food. This is why many coffee mills have emerged.

Rwanda Coffee Processing Stations

Bugoyi is one of six washing stations operated by Emmanuel Rusatira and his family. Since 2017, driven by dedication and passion for coffee, he has been processing fully washed, natural, and honey-processed coffees. Its location along the shores of Lake Kivu provides gentle breezes and soft sunlight, perfect for evenly cooling and drying coffee beans. 80% of the workers at Bugoyi washing station are women. Damascen Ntibiramira is the station manager at Bugoyi. He is a mobilization specialist who makes Bugoyi attractive to many farmers. Adelphine Nyiranzabonimpaye is the quality control manager, with seven years of experience in the coffee industry. She oversees the drying of coffee and is an essential part of Baho Coffee. They work closely with 1,500 local small-scale farmers who deliver their cherries to the washing station on foot or by bicycle.

FrontStreet Coffee's Rwanda Gashaki coffee comes from the Nyamasheke plateau.

This spectacular harvest grows around the Albertine Rift mountains. Lake Kivu, one of Africa's Great Lakes, forms the country's western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The region boasts excellent coffee-growing conditions, with plateaus rich in volcanic soil, averaging elevations between 1,700-2,100 meters.

Horizon Supreme is a washing station located in the mountainous southern region of Rwanda, where high altitude and abundant rainfall provide some of the country's finest specialty coffee products.

The owner, Leo Fidele Ndagijimana, purchased the wet mill from the previous owner, who had failed to operate it and had been unable to process coffee for many years. After purchasing the washing station in late 2018, Fidel replaced and repaired the factory's machinery. He utilized his experience managing washing stations in western Rwanda to create new quality benchmarks.

This excellent trader also secured additional land near the processing station for coffee cultivation.

Rwanda Ngororero is a washing station worth watching closely. The region where Ngororero is located has high potential for producing refined and fruit-forward cupping profiles.

Coffee from Ngororero is renowned worldwide for its exceptional quality and taste. In October 2018, the Ngororero station received two of the highest awards at the Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards. More than 1,500 coffee consumers worldwide preferred this coffee over all other entrants, awarding it the "Coffee Lovers Award."

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