Rwanda FW15+ Koakaka Karaba Co-operative
| Bag Weight | 60 KG BAG |
|---|---|
| Harvest Season | 2023/24 |
| Status | Spot |
| Lot Number | P8002269-1 |
About This Coffee
The Region
The Huye micro-region was one of the first to produce top specialty coffee in the country. Like much of Rwanda - “the land of a thousand hills” - the terrain is mountainous, rugged and exceptionally beautiful. Rich volcanic soils, plentiful sunshine, and tropical rainfall provide exceptional conditions for the cultivation of arabica, and the Bourbon variety particularly excels in the high elevations of Rwanda’s mountains. The co-op is located in the Southern Province of Rwanda on the edge of the Nyungwe rainforest, a protected natural reserve.
The Art of Production
Ripe cherries are carefully selected - first by hand and then by floatation. The cherries are depulped and fermented in clean water for 15 hours. The coffee is then thoroughly washed in clean water grading channels, then soaked for a further 14 hours. After soaking the coffee dried on raised African beds, first under shade and then in the sun, for an average of 15-20 days. The coffee is turned and handpicked constantly as it dries to ensure consistent drying and remove physical defects.
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.
- Subregion Karambi, Huye district
- Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
- Wet Mill Karambi
- Processing Washed
- Plant Species Arabica
- Variety Bourbon
- Min Growing Altitude 1800m
- Max Growing Altitude 1950m
- Screen Size 15 Up
- Co-Op Koakaka Karaba
- On Sale Yes
- Top Lot No
- Price Per Kg £7.65
- Status Spot
- Coffee Grade RWA CA FW SC 15+
- CTRM Contract Number P8002269-1
- Origin Rwanda
- Warehouse Vollers Group Uk