RWANDA ​KILIMBI HONEY

General Information

Origin: Rwanda
Region: Western Province
District: Nyamasheke
Washing Station: Kilimbi
Farmers: 750 active members
Cultivar: 100% Red Bourbon
Altitude:  1650 - 1850 masl
Process: Honey
Harvest: April - June 2020
USD per Kg of Cherry: 0.33 USD/Kg
Screen | Moisture | Density: 15+ | 10.2% | 0.7 g/ml 
Packaging: 60 Kg + GrainPro
Score: 86+
Notes: Raspberry, caramel, whiskey, pear
Ikawa profile: Natural Basic 3

TRACEABILITY

​Kilimbi washing station is located on the shores of Lake Kivu, in the Nyamasheke district, western Rwanda. With an annual production of between 300 and 350 MT, the station serves 750 coffee growers who deliver cherries at this station. Kilimbi has four full-time staff members and expands to 160 workers during the harvest season. Kilimbi CWS growers are paid on average 30% above the market price for their cherry.

Kilimbi CWS was one of two washing stations (along Rugali) that received approval to produce honey and natural process coffees for the first time in Rwanda. Although the NAEB (National Agricultural Export Development Board) continues to strictly monitor the production of natural and honey processed coffee, the cultivar and elevation of Kilimbi, allow to produce honey and natural processed coffees of exceptional quality.

HISTORY

​When we talk about Rwanda, it is impossible not to mention the horrible genocide that occurred in 1994, which left almost 1 million dead. Despite that sinister past, today it is admirable to see how this small nation has risen from the darkest depths, to become one of the most prosperous and secure countries in all of Africa.

Currently, the coffee industry in Rwanda is at its peak and producing exceptional coffees. The road has clearly not been easy, but through the leadership of a commited government, educational projects and strategic planning, they have laid the solid foundation for this success.

Today approximately 420,000 people are directly or indirectly related to the coffee industry. The prices of quality coffee are more stable than the prices of commercial coffee, which has improved the quality of life of many coffee farmers and their families. In addition, coffee also contributes to the reconciliation of the main ethnic groups: Hutus and Tutsis; as we have seen them working together, shoulder to shoulder, to produce more and better coffee.​

PROCESSING

It should be noted that unlike its neighbor Burundi, the honey and natural processes are still relatively unexplored in Rwanda. This is due in the first place to the restrictions on its production imposed by the central government until recently; and second, due to the interruption in the development of the Rwandan coffee industry that was generated after the genocide and that could not be restarted until 2001.

The process begins with the arrival of the cherries at the washing station, which are immediately washed and hermetically sealed in plastic bags for 24 hours, before being pulped in the afternoon of the following day. The pulped coffees are kept covered in plastic under roof overnight, before being transferred to drying tables the next day.

​The drying process takes about 3 weeks, where the coffee is in constant rotation to ensure uniform drying. The analysis of the honey development rate, showed that this lot is between what is typically defined as red honey and black honey.​

HAND SORTING THE POTATO DEFECT

KILIMBI cws LOCATION
CONTACT
 [email protected]
+34 675 608 692
WHERE WE ARE
Barcelona, Spain
Santiago, Chile
​Budapest, Hungary