RWANDA ​MACUBA

General Information

Origin:   Rwanda
Region: Western Province
District: Nyamasheke
Washing Station: Macuba
Farmers: 465 active members (186 female, 279 male)
Cultivar:  100% Bourbon Types
Altitude: 1685 masl
Process:  Fully Washed
Harvest:  March - June 2022
Cherry Price | FOB Price: 4.24 USD/kg | 6.52 USD/Kg
Screen | Moisture | Density: 15+ | 10.5% | 0.71 g/ml
Packaging: 60 Kg + GrainPro
Score: 85.7
Notes: Apricot, Caramel, Brown Sugar, Orange

TRACEABILITY

​The Macuba coffee washing station is located in the Nyamasheke district, in the south-western part of the country. The cooperative is located at an altitude of 1,685 meters above sea level, although the farms rise to 2,100 meters above sea level. At least 465 coffee farmers are registered with the Macuba washing station, which acts as a central delivery location for farmers to sell their cherries, but also to receive agronomic and commercial support.
 
Farmers receive incentives through end-of-harvest cash quality bonuses and bank accounts (without commissions), which allow them to store money safely, as well as establish credit for future investments.
 
All coffee cherries undergo an initial sorting, hand-selecting the ripe coffee cherries, and then soaking the coffee in tanks of clean water to remove any "floaters" that may have passed. The coffee is pulped and fermented for up to 24 hours in water to break down the mucilage, then classified and washed in concrete channels. Finally, it is transferred to African drying beds.
 
Channel grading is the process of moving coffee from fermentation tanks through a series of narrow concrete channels that are filled with water, the denser coffee settling to the bottom while the lighter lower grades float and continue to the end. Amazingly, they can separate 4 different grades using this method, with A1 being the highest grade and the densest beans, which is what we buy.

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.

Coffee is one of the major export commodities for Rwanda, accounting for more than 40% of the total value of agricultural exports of the country, with approximately 420,000 people are directly or indirectly related to the coffee industry. 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.​

VARIETY

Today in the world of specialty coffee, Bourbon and Typica are the most important Arabica coffee varieties. Recent genetic studies have confirmed that Bourbon and Typica were the seeds brought from Ethiopia to Yemen, and from the latter they spread throughout the world, forming the basis of modern Arabica coffee cultivation.
 
It was the French who attempted to introduce coffee three times from Yemen to Bourbon Island (now La Réunion), in 1708, 1715 and 1718. Genetic studies have confirmed that only a small number of plants from the second introduction and some from the third introduction they were successful. Until the middle of the 19th century, Bourbon coffee did not leave the island.
 
French missionaries played an important role in spreading the Bourbons in Africa. In 1841, the first mission was established in La Réunion. From there, a mission was established in Zanzibar in 1859. From Zanzibar, a mission was established in 1862 at Bagamoyo (coast of Tanzania, then called Tanganyika), another at St. Augustine (Kikuyu, Kenya), and another in 1893 at Bura (Taita Hills, Kenya). Coffee seeds brought from La Reunion were planted in each of the missions.
 
In 1904, German missionaries brought coffee to Rwanda. The first coffee trees were planted in Mibirizi mission, Cyangugu province. It is this mission that gives the name to the first variety of Rwandan coffee, a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety. Gradually, coffee cultivation spread to Lake Kivu and later to the rest of Rwanda. In 1930, growing coffee became compulsory for many farmers in the country, replicating the colonial model that the Belgians had imposed on Burundi.

HAND SORTING THE POTATO DEFECT

MACUBA cws LOCATION
CONTACT
green@coffeekilimanjaro.com
+34 675 608 692
WHERE WE ARE
Barcelona, Spain
Santiago, Chile
​Budapest, Hungary