Despite its turbulent history, today Rwanda is one of the specialty coffee world’s darlings, and for good reason! This amazing coffee is grown in the Western Province in a small area known as Rusizi. There are 396 farmers who join together under a sustainable coop known as Rwacof to grow this coffee with an average farm size of just 305 trees, which enables farmers to provide all the attention to detail needed to produce superb coffee. Of those farmers, nearly one-quarter are female and another one-quarter are youth.
The coffee cherry is handpicked by farmers and brought to Gaseke station daily. The route to Gaseke washing station follows the borders of Burundi and Congo in the southernmost corner of Western Rwanda. The station, built in 2016, enjoys incredible views of the Nyakabuye Valley below. While the elevation of Gaseke station is slightly lower than many of the stations along the shores of Lake Kivu, its orientation offers maximum sun exposure, a precious resource necessary for this method of drying cherry and parchment. The coffee cherry is sorted to remove defects and then pulped before being fermented for 12 to 18 hours.
After fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water before being spread in thin layers to dry on raised beds. Once here, the coffee is regularly sifted to ensure even drying and is sorted to remove any visible defects and imperfections. The station’s position gives it excellent sun exposure that enables consistent and controlled drying. The next stop, is our small batch roaster in North Lincolnshire.
If you would like to buy our Robust Rwanda coffee click here.
