RWANDA ​rugali NATURAL

General Information

Origin: Rwanda
Region: Western Province
District: Nyamasheke
Washing Station: Rugali
Farmers: 1,150 active members
Cultivar: 100% Red Bourbon
Altitude: 1550 - 1800 masl
Process: Natural
Harvest: April - June 2020
USD per Kg of Cherry: 0.33 USD/Kg
Screen | Moisture | Density: 15+ | 9.9% | 0.682 g/ml
Packaging: 60 Kg + GrainPro
Score: 87
Notes: Plum, winey, floral, intense
Ikawa profile: Burundi 7 (v.1)

TRACEABILITY

The Rugali washing station is located on the shores of Lake Kivu, in the Nyamasheke district, western Rwanda. With 124 drying beds, the station serves 1,150 farmers who deliver cherries to this station. Rugali has five full-time staff members and expands to 180 seasonal workers during the harvest season.

Muraho, our partner in Rwanda this year, who work directly with small producers in five washing stations located in two of the main coffee growing areas of the country. Muraho's objective is to promote better agricultural practices and with this, increase the quality and volume of production, thus improving the quality of life of coffee growers. Last season, Muraho developed nurseries for a total of 110,000 coffee trees (Kilimbi 50,000 and Rugali 60,000) and distributed them to coffee growers in the Nyamasheke district. This crop renewal program is much needed, as a large percentage of African coffee trees are between 40 and 50 years old and their yields are low.

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.

Upon arrival at the station, the cherry is meticulously hand sorted before drying, visually removing any defective or immature cherries. The coffee is then soaked in a tank or bucket of water to separate the low-density cherries. Subsequently, only the high-density cherries are transported onto traditional African beds.
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In the drying areas, grass and weeds are removed from under the beds to ensure that no additional soil moisture rises during the drying stage. African beds are spread across a large open plain where air flow and sunlight have high exposure to coffee. The drying process takes about 3 weeks, where the coffee is in constant rotation to ensure uniform drying.

HAND SORTING THE POTATO DEFECT

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