Rwanda: A Unique Origin

While representing less than 1% of the world’s coffee exports, Rwanda still manages to make a substantial impact on the industry.  The high growing altitudes and nitrogen-rich, volcanic soil cultivate the perfect environment for the growth of its many Bourbon varietals.  And although now it is common to see a cupped Rwandan coffee score in the 90s, it hasn’t always been this way.

The coffee plant was first introduced to the country in 1904, when German missionaries brought trees over in the hopes to turn them over as a cash crop.  The quality of the crop was low due to a lack of the infrastructure needed to produce high-quality beans.  After Belgium came into power in 1916, Rwandan people were still forced to grow coffee, but this time through enslavement—the quality had not improved at all, and the coffee grown fetched prices too low to sustain cost of living.

Even after gaining independence from Belgium in 1962, the fall of coffee prices in the 1980s hit Rwanda hard.  As prices plummeted to $0.49 per pound by 1992, lower than the cost to produce, many farmers either abandoned their land or turned it over so it could be used for more profitable crops—namely, drugs.  And while coffee accounted for 82% of the country’s income, the funds were being allocated to a failing tourism industry and toward luxuries for a small percentage of the country’s elite.  Things only worsened in 1994, when the tragedy of the Rwandan genocide struck and over 800,000 people were killed.  As the country and its people suffered, so did the coffee crop.
 
So, what brought Rwandan coffee to the level of quality it is known for today?  It began in the early 2000s with help from a few organizations who saw the potential to create good coffee and better lives for those farming it.  USAID is dedicated to the support of small-holder coffee farmers.  Their goals were to fund training and technical assistance programs for coffee farmers, improve their access to markets to sell their product, identify new sources of income and improve farmers’ ability to produce high quality beans.  Projects PEARL and SPREAD formed coffee cooperatives throughout the country, established coffee laboratories, and taught Rwandan farmers how to roast and brew their own coffee at home.  In 2004, the first communal washing station was built.  By 2015, there were 245.  Easier access to washing stations and improved transportation gave farmers the ability to produce a higher quality crop, and therefore sell it for higher prices—especially now that more direct trade relationships had been established.

By 2008, Rwanda’s coffee culture had improved so drastically, that they hosted the first Cup of Excellence competition held in Africa.  While they have come a long way, they are still producing relatively small amounts of coffee compared to other countries.  In 2016, they exported about 22,000 sixty-kilogram bags versus Ethiopia’s 7.1 million.  However, they are still working to improve their production and quality.  In 2017, NAEB launched CUP Rwanda, which built two model coffee farms in the country to teach proper farm layouts and practices to farmers.  Efforts to improve quality of life and crops in Rwanda continue currently.
 
Coffees from this country are now known for their floral, fruity, and citrusy flavors and aromas—although a wide variety of tasting notes can be found across cups of Rwandan coffee, these light, delicate flavors are almost always present.   Fortuna’s Rwanda Misozi Kopakaki has notes of white wine, black tea, and grapefruit, and is grown in the Karongi district in western Rwanda by a co-op of around 800 farmers.  This region has near-perfect growing conditions for coffee—the altitude, rainfall, soil content, and climate are all ideal and result in an amazing cup.  Go ahead and grab a bag and try it out in your shop or at home today!

--

   It is important to note at this time that Rwanda has just experienced a major setback in the form of heavy rainfall, flooding, and mudslides this May.  This tragedy has taken lives, ruined homes, displaced farmers, and destroyed crops and critical infrastructure.  A GoFundMe to help relief efforts is linked below.  Please consider donating if you are able!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Rwandan-landslide 

- Katherine Segposyan
Product Specialist
Fortuna Enterprises, LLC

Fortuna Enterprises - 20 Years of Seed to Success!

Established in 2000, Fortuna Enterprises is the consummate leader in providing complete and comprehensive solutions for all of your coffee shop needs. Located in Greensboro, NC, Fortuna excels in unparalleled customer service by offering specialty roasted small-batch coffee, a fully stocked warehouse, imports, design, equipment repair, consulting, barista training, and more!

We are compelled to be the unsurpassed authority for all coffee shop requirements. We use this drive to continue our extensive research in carefully selecting only the highest quality coffees, equipment, syrups and other coffee shop necessities. Our products have a proven record of premium industry performance and unmatched reliability. We buy large quantities from our suppliers so we are in turn able to negotiate extremely competitive pricing for our customers.
We look forward to hearing from you about how we can take you from concept to completion!