Rwanda Huye Kogimuwaka - Bourbon

Kogimuwaka Cooperative has partnered with Farmer Connect to bring a fully traceable coffee that bridges the gap between smallholder producers and roasters. Every bag is traceable to the farmers who contributed to the lot.  

Koperative Giringufu Muhinzi Wa Kawa (Kogimuwaka Cooperative) is named for the Kinyarwanda phrase meaning "be strong coffee farmer cooperative.” Based in the Southern District of Huye, the group was created in 2004 and later became officially recognized as a cooperative by local authorities in 2007.  

Today, Kogimuwaka has over 400 members who all grow and harvest Arabica coffee in the region surrounding the cooperative’s washing station. On average the station processes about 700 MT of cherry per year.  

In an effort to reduce the number of intermediaries between Rwandan coffee smallholders and the international market, Kogimuwaka is partnering with the blockchain platform Farmer Connect. Now, their lots are fully traceable from farmer to final destination. In addition to the lot traceability, members of the cooperative participated in an anonymized survey which gives a more comprehensive view of their farming practices, as well as their socio-economic situation.  

The survey found that 67% of farming families delivering coffee to Kogimuwaka depend mainly on coffee farming for family income. The average revenue per family per year was about $130 USD. 80% of households own livestock.

Cultivation

Farmers have an average of 223 trees with a yield of about 1.4 kilograms per tree. Farms sit around 1,600 meters above sea level. 91% of farmers use fertilizers on their coffee trees while 85.2% use regular pruning. Of the farms that use fertilizer, 41% use animal manure, 55% use chemical fertilizers and 1% use organic compost. Only 4% of farms have irrigation systems installed on their plots.  

94% of farmers cultivate other crops in addition to coffee with sweet potatoes, maize, beans and cassava being the most common types.  

Harvest & Post-Harvest

Farmers and their families selectively handpick ripe, red cherry and deliver it to Kogimuwaka’s washing station. At intake, specially trained staff float cherry to remove underripes and then visually inspect cherry and remove any defects. Cherry is pulped and fermented in tanks. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and laid on raised beds to dry. Workers rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying and visually inspect parchment to remove any damaged beans. It takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks for parchment to dry.  

Despite its turbulent history, today Rwanda is one of the specialty coffee world’s darlings – for good reason! Our sister company in Rwanda does an amazing job of bringing the best that Rwanda has to offer to roasters around the world.

German missionaries and settlers brought coffee to Rwanda in the early 1900s. Largescale coffee production was established during the 1930 & 1940s by the Belgian colonial government. Coffee production continued after the Belgian colonists left. By 1970, coffee had become the single largest export in Rwanda and accounted for 70% of total export revenue. Coffee was considered so valuable that, beginning in 1973, it was illegal to tear coffee trees out of the ground.

Between 1989 and 1993, the breakdown of the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) caused the global price to plummet. The Rwandan government and economy took a hard hit from low global coffee prices. The 1994 genocide and its aftermath led to a complete collapse of coffee exports and vital USD revenue, but the incredible resilience of the Rwandan people is evident in the way the economy and stability have recovered since then.

Modern Rwanda is considered one of the most stable countries in the region. Since 2003, its economy has grown by 7-8% per year and coffee production has played a key role in this economic growth. Coffee has also played a role in Rwanda's significant advancements towards gender equality. New initiatives that cater to women and focus on helping them equip themselves with the tools and knowledge for farming have been changing the way women view themselves and interact with the world around them.

Today, smallholders propel the industry in Rwanda forward. The country doesn’t have any large estates. Most coffee is grown by the 400,000+ smallholders, who own less than a  quarter of a hectare. The majority of Rwanda’s coffee production is Arabica. Bourbon variety plants comprise 95% of all coffee trees cultivated in Rwanda.