Tasting notes

 - Chamomile, white sugar + Orange Acidity

Brewing

We suggest using this coffee for filter brew methods, such as a pourover, aeropress, chemex or batch brew (or similar). It's roasted a bit lighter to accentuate the delicious fruitiness and acidity that we love.

Origin Information

Country : Rwanda

Province : Northern Province

District : Gakenke District

Sector : Ruli Sector

Washing Station : Ruli

Elevation : 2002 MASL

Variety : Red Bourbon

Processing : Washed

Farmers: 136 female cooperative members

Washing Station Owner : Dukunde Kawa Cooperativ

Growth Story

This special offering was produced using coffee cherry grown by 136 women who own small farms in the hills surrounding Ruli washing station, the largest and busiest of three washing stations owned by the Dukunde Kawa Cooperative.

Unlike most coffee-producing countries, where a farmer’s land size is used as a measure of scale, farms in Rwanda are often very small, and as a result production capability is measured by the number of trees a farmer tends to. The majority of women who contributed to this lot own a couple of hundred trees, planted on one tenth of a hectare of land, along with subsistence food crops like maize, beans and sorghum and livestock like cows, goats and chickens.

Many of the women who contributed to this lot are also members of Rambagirakawa, a women’s alliance within Dukunde Kawa that was formed to advocate for support and resources for female coffee producers. Through collaboration with both Rambagirakawa and international buyers, Dukunde Kawa has assisted the women in processing and marketing their coffees as a separated ‘Women’s Coffee’ lot, which earns them an additional bonus payment on top of the quality premium all cooperative members receive. To distinguish their coffee and ensure it is processed separately, the women have organised to deliver cherry to the washing station on certain days of the week. While this lot was processed at Ruli washing station, members of Rambagirakawa may also deliver to its sister washing stations, Mbilima and Nkara, depending on where they live.