History, geography and climate of coffee in Rwanda

Rwandans have been growing coffee since colonial times, but until 1999, its products were still classified as below Class C and in the global market.

No one cares about it. The reason for the poor quality is that farmers do not have a fixed procedure for washing coffee beans and do not process coffee fruits according to specifications in time. Buyers buy coffee beans at $0.33 per kilogram, and farmers maintain food and clothing on meagre profits earned at low prices, but they are still in a state of poverty.

In 1999, 220 coffee growers formed guilds in the Malaba area (formerly part of Butare province) to address the disease. Among the guild members, many farmers were separated from their loved ones by the 1994 mass massacre, while some husbands were jailed or were taken to the traditional Gacaca Court (gacaca) to face trial on charges of participating in the massacre. They named the guild "Abau Zam Gambi" (Abahuzamugambi), which means "people who work together to achieve their goals" in Rwandan. Farmers hope that by setting up this association, they will be able to work directly with Geely's exporters instead of peeling layers of skin through intermediary transportation companies, so as to increase profits. Farmers distribute their profits and spend them on tools, fertilizers and seeds to increase production.

In 2000, the Mayor of Malaba requested development assistance from the National University of Rwanda (UNR), which is located near the city of Butare, and the following year, the National University of Rwanda assisted in the establishment of the Joint strengthening Rwanda Agricultural Partnership (PEARL). The PEARL project is also supported by several organizations: the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Michigan State University, Texas A & M University, and many other Rwandan organizations, including the National University of Rwanda, the National Agricultural Laboratory (ISAR) and the Gejali Institute of Technology Management (KIST). In February 2001, PEARL began to work with Abauzam Gamby to improve the quality of coffee to meet the standards of the American professional coffee market, and then sell the coffee to the United States.

Malaba Coffee grows in southern Rwanda, about 12 kilometers (7 miles) from the city of Butare and 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the capital, Gejali. The plan began in the Malaba area of Butare province, but was taken over by a local government organization in 2006, which is now part of the Huye district of the southern province. Due to its proximity to the East African Rift Valley and the Neuenway Forest Mountains, this zone is sloping, steep and has fertile volcanic soil. Coffee is grown at 1700 to 2100 m (5577-6889 ft) above sea level, usually with terraces on steep hillsides. The zone also has an average annual rainfall of 115 centimeters (45 inches). Most of them come from the rainy season from March to May, which is also the main coffee harvest season. The temperature at high altitude is slightly lower, with an average of about 20 °C (68 °F), which varies slightly due to seasons.