RWANDA Cyarumbo

Country: RWANDA
Region: Huye District, Huye Sector, Southern Province
Owner: Abahuzamugambi Ba Kawa Maraba Cooperative
Washing Station: Cyarumbo
Farmers: 274 female cooperative members
Altitude: 1,500 – 1,800 metres above sea level
Variety: 100% Red Bourbon
Processing: Fully Washed
Awards: Cup of Excellence 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015

Rich and sweet; blood orange raspberry and sultana. Dark chocolate and black tea.

About Cyarumbo (with thanks to Melbourne Coffee Merchants):

This special micro-lot was produced by 274 female farmers who own and grow coffee on small farms in the hills surrounding Cyarumbo washing station, in Rwanda’s Southern Province. The women are members of six of the twenty-two collectives that fall under the Abizerwa Women’s Group umbrella, that are organised within the Abahuzamugambi Ba Kawa Maraba Cooperative (or ‘Maraba’). In the local Kinyarwanda language, Abizerwa means “trusted people” – a fitting name for the group, given how much the members share support and resources with each other.

To distinguish their coffee and ensure it is processed separately, the women have organised to deliver cherry to the washing station on certain days of the week. Selling their coffee as a separate lot allows the women to directly benefit from any higher prices paid specifically for their coffees (rather than these profits being shared equally amongst all members) and results in a higher income to support their families. This creates an effective incentive for the women to work as a collective towards achieving the very best quality, and we think the results are evident in the complex and clean cup profile of these coffees!

Maraba Cooperative has consistently been recognised for quality, including numerous Cup of Excellence awards in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015 – no small accomplishment! This year’s lots are representative of the exceptional quality that this cooperative can produce, which is in part due to their continued reinvestment in infrastructure and training. The coop recently upgraded cherry sorting equipment and a water treatment facilities at each of their washing stations. They have also constructed a warehouse, where the coffee is safely stored before being transported to Kigali for final stages of milling and preparation for export.

ABOUT CYARUMBO WASHING STATION

Founded in 2001, Maraba Cyarumbo was Rwanda’s first washing station. Prior to Cyarumbo being built, Rwandan farmers only produced sun-dried natural coffees with very few protocols for quality control. Transparency along the supply chain was non-existent, and farmers had no access to the international market. Set up as a model operation, workers at Cyarumbo were key in showcasing the best practices needed to maximise quality potential to the country’s ailing coffee industry. To say they were successful at this is an understatement, as Rwanda has gone to open over 300 washing stations since then!

Cyarumbo is located in the Huye District of Rwanda’s Southern Province and sits at an elevation of 1,700 meters above sea level. The washing station services 568 members of the cooperative, who grow coffee locally – some with farms as high as 2,200 meters above sea level. The area has ideal growing conditions for high-quality coffee, with high elevations, good rainfall and steady temperatures year-round. Day to day operations are overseen by the station manager, Christian Ruzigama, while Christine Ilibagiza serves as head of QC. A total of five permanent staff and 115 seasonal workers are employed by the washing station – most of whom are women.

PROCESSING AT CYARUMBO WASHING STATION

The team at Cyarumbo Washing Station take a huge amount of care in sorting and processing their coffee. They own their own dry mill which enables them to control quality all the way through to export.

Coffees from Huye District are characterised by heavy sweetness and juicy character. We’re excited to purchase coffee from the Abizerwa Women’s Group for a second year in a row and to support the farmers who contribute to the Cyarumbo Washing Station.  We love this coffee for its great structure and depth, with intense sweetness and grilled peach in the cup.