What are the development stories of Rwandan boutique coffee beans in well-known coffee producing areas in Rwanda?

Rwanda, one of the small landlocked countries in Africa, is bordered by Uganda to the north, Burundi to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west and Tanzania to the east. Rwanda, which is located in the world-famous Great Lakes region with the four countries mentioned above, is composed of many mountains and plateaus, large and small, so it is also known as the country of thousands of hills and the hometown of thousands of mountains, running through the Congo River and the Nile River from north to south. Although Rwanda is located in the area south of the equator, its favorable temperature due to its high altitude has also made it a unique advantage-year-round drought and rainy seasons, abundant rainfall and fertile volcanic geology. It has created a geographical environment that is very conducive to growing coffee and has made coffee one of the most important cash crops in Rwanda.

The origin of fine coffee in Rwanda can be traced back to 1904, when Rwanda was ruled by the Germans after World War I, and German missionaries introduced the ancient bourbon variety of Guatemalan coffee from Guatemala. the first coffee tree was planted in a monastery in Sangu province, opening the way to the cultivation of Rwandan coffee. The first batch of exported coffee began in 1917, but because of the limited capacity of each coffee farmer, almost all of them were handed over to the central coffee washing and processing plant after harvest, and the output exported to the world was relatively small, so they were classified as small coffee farmers. In 1993, as a result of the Belgian colonial policy, the crop profits of small farmers of coffee were more meager, and the quality of coffee was also compressed. It was not until the establishment of the official Coffee Organization after the independence of Rwanda that the situation was reversed.

Well-known coffee producing areas in Rwanda

Xi Yilla

Located in the western Nyabihu producing area of Naiabihu, under the Shyira cooperative, it mainly targets the bourbon species of picking old mackerel, taking the most mature and reddest coffee beans as the harvest target, and there is also a fixed grading standard for purchasing coffee cherries, both in terms of acidity and fineness.

Mushonyi Mushoi processing plant

Located in the western Lute Siro Rutsiro producing area, it is a very well-known coffee processing factory in the world. It not only won the Outstanding Cup COE championship in 2010, but also won the championship, 12th, 16th and 28th respectively in many evaluations in 2011.

Coocamu Coffee Cooperative

Located in the western Lute Siro Rutsiro producing area, under Musasha MUSASA, a large farmers' association in Rwanda, the cooperative adopts an organic planting approach and is committed to a sustainable and eco-friendly development model. in addition, the working environment is more famous for gender equality, recruiting more than 20% of women to work here.

Dukunde kawa Governor Ken de Kawa Cooperative

Located in the northern Rushashi producing area, under Musasha MUSASA, a large farmers' association in Rwanda, it is one of the largest coffee washing plants in Rwanda, with an altitude of more than 2000 meters, making the washing environment cooler, the fermentation process longer and better quality.