Description
Farm and Region Details
This special lot comes to us from the Women Coffee Extension (WCE) at the Mbizi Coffee Washing Station. Founded in 2017 by Aline Christine and Odette Uwamariya, the WCE is a women’s coffee cooperative focuses on creating a space for female specialty coffee producers to have a stronger voice in Rwanda coffee production. Today, the WCE has over 700 female coffee producer members! The WCE is focused on educating and empowering their members. They offer services such as family planning, nutrition programs, agricultural practices and even providing cows and goats to their members. These initiatives have changed the lives of many of their members. Coffee production has increased from 3 kgs to 4 kgs per tree. The washing station moved from producing 3 containers to 6 containers of green coffee. Looking forward, WCE has goals to continue to expand programs for the benefit of their members and they are currently working on Rain Forest certification in order to increase the premium of their coffee.
Known as the “Land of a Thousand Hills”, Rwanda ranks about 9th place in world coffee production which equates to less than 2% of global coffee. Typically producing “fully washed” beans dried on raised beds, the country has become known for its quality Fair Trade Organic bean production. The first coffee plants were brought to Rwanda by German missionaries in the 1900’s although true coffee production didn’t take off until the 1930’s under the Belgian colonial empire. There are currently about 450,000 small holder farms in Rwanda producing high quality bourbon coffee variety at altitudes of 4,000 to 6,500 feet above sea level; excellent conditions for quality coffee.
Coffee beans grown at higher altitude are typically considered to have better taste and quality. Higher altitude temperatures are usually cooler and this allows for a slower maturation process. The slower cycle gives the sugars more time to develop, producing richer and deeper flavors.
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