Dried mango, apple & cherry crumble
Region: Kamageri, Nyamagabe, Rwanda
Producer: Buf Coffee
Elevation: 1800 to 2000 MASL
Varietals: Red Bourbon
Process: Washed
This special microlot was produced by smallholder producers who farm coffee in the high hills surrounding Nyarusiza washing station, located in the Kamageri Sector of Nyamagabe District, in Rwanda’s Southern Province. The farmers are members of the Kawanziza Farmers’ Group, a small association of producers who deliver cherry to Nyarusiza washing station which, along with three other washing stations, is owned and managed by the influential Buf Coffee company.
Most washing stations in Rwanda receive cherry from hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of farmers who own very small plots of land. Separation of such tiny lots is expensive and impractical, so the large majority of coffees are processed as a mixed lot from multiple producers. Typically, lots are separated as day lots (ie. cherries that were all picked on the same day) rather than by a single farm or producer group.
The farmers who make up the Kawanziza group come from the nearby village of Gasaka. Recently, they formed an association to process and market their coffees separately as a smaller, more selected lot. The group also provide each other with invaluable support, by sharing resources and labour during the busy harvest period. They named their association Kawanziza, which roughly translates to ‘beautiful coffee’ in the local Kinyarwanda language.
To distinguish their coffee and ensure it is processed separately, the producers have organised to deliver cherry to the washing station on certain days of the week. Selling their coffee as a separate lot allows them to directly benefit from any higher prices paid specifically for their coffees (rather than these profits being shared equally amongst all contributing producers) and results in a higher income to support their families. This creates an effective incentive for the farmers to work as a collective towards achieving the very best quality, and we think the results are evident in the complex and clean profile of their coffee!
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