Also of Interest
Rwanda Organic - Mbizi CWS
About This Coffee
History of Coffee in Rwanda
The commercialization of coffee came about gradually in Rwanda and coffee was always produced on smallholder farms. Independence brought some improvement to the coffee infrastructure as the government established more modern and centralizing processing. But this meant the government set the price they would pay for coffee and farmers had no other options. There was no focus on quality because there was no incentive whatsoever. Despite much of the coffee being Bourbon, there was no sorting or grading so all the coffee was commercial grade. Rwanda exported 642,000 bags of coffee in 1993 and 447,000 in 1994. Then, as something of a stark reminder of the genocide, Rwanda exported a mere 22,000 bags in 1995. Today, Rwanda exports only 43% of what it did in 1993, but current exports represent much greater value because for the last 20 years the focus has been on quality rather than quantity. Rwanda’s ideal growing conditions are no longer wasted on poor processing. New washing stations have opened in all coffee growing regions, innovative cupping labs that arrive built into shipping containers, and cooperatives have been established. For the last 10 years, Rwandan specialty coffees consistently rank among the finest in the world.
Growing Coffee in Rwanda
Cherries are hand-picked when fully ripe and then pulped that same evening using a mechanical pulper that divides the beans into three grades by weight. After pulping, the coffee is fermented overnight (for around 12-18 hours) and then graded again using flotation channels that sort the coffee by weight (the heaviest – or A1 – usually being the best). The wet parchment is then soaked in water for around 24 hours to stabilize moisture content.
- Region Kamonyi District
- Farm Name Various smallholders
- Producer Type Washing Station
- Wet Mill Mbizi Coffee Washing Station
- Processing Washed
- Processing Description 10-18 hour fermentation, dried on raised beds
- Bag Type Grain Pro / Ecotact
- Plant Species Arabica
- Variety Red Bourbon
- Min Growing Altitude 1800m
- Max Growing Altitude 2200m
- On Sale No
- Top Lot No
- Status Spot
- Certifications Organic Certified NOP
- Coffee Grade RWA CA FW SC 15+
- CTRM Contract Number P614083-1
- Country of Origin Rwanda
- Warehouse Continental NJ