Rwanda Simbi Cyendajuru 15+ Natural (2023)
| Bag Weight | 60 KG BAG |
|---|---|
| Harvest Season | 2022/23 |
| Status | Spot |
| Lot Number | P8001868-1 |
About This Coffee
The Region
Huye district 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.
There are thought to be around half a million smallholder coffee farmers in Rwanda. These producers each farn small areas of land around their homes rarely exceeding a hectare in size but together represent the vast majority of the country's production. In Simbi's micro-region in the Maraba area, specialty coffee's rise as a sustainable cash crop has brought hope for a better future.
The Process
Ripe cherries are carefully selected and then dried in the sun on raised beds for 30-60 days depending on climatic conditions.
History of Coffee in Rwanda
The commercialisation 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 centralising 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 15 years, Rwandan specialty coffees have consistently ranked among the finest in the world.
- Subregion Cyendajuru sector, Huye District, Southern Province
- Producer Type Washing Station
- Wet Mill Simbi CWS
- Processing Natural/Dry Processed
- Bag Types Grain Pro / Ecotact
- Plant Species Arabica
- Variety Bourbon
- Min Growing Altitude 1700m
- Max Growing Altitude 1850m
- Screen Size 15 Up
- On Sale Yes
- Top Lot Yes
- Price Per Kg £8.95
- Status Spot
- Coffee Grade RWA CA NAT SPL SD
- CTRM Contract Number P8001868-1
- Origin Rwanda
- Warehouse Vollers Group Uk