The history of coffee production in Rwanda can be split into two moments. Pre and post-1994, when the genocide happened. What’s changed, you might be wondering? The people behind the Washing Stations changed. While large companies still run the show, small local companies appeared to own the trading space for the first time.
Unity through coffee
Coffee came to Rwanda’s Western Province, by Lake Kivu, in the late 1800s by German missionaries. It became the main cash crop but was sold mainly unwashed, as a commodity. By the 1970s, coffee was so important that cutting down trees was illegal.
Back then, the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) kept prices stable. When it collapsed in 1989, things changed. Prices sank, the economy shattered, and farmers got desperate. The ethnical conflict between Hutus and Tutsis was the match that lit the fire - but the wood was already stacked. <<photo>>
The coffee sector collapsed with the rest of the economy in 1994. Political stability returned in the late 1990s and the Rwanda Coffee Strategy was launched in 2001 to promote the production of high-quality Arabica. The government started to invest in coffee, bringing specialists from Kenya and Burundi to train locals on harvesting and processing practices.
Everyone born in Rwanda who exports coffee today has some personal experience of the genocide. They also grew up at a moment when coffee became a symbol of unity and economic recovery in the country. That’s one of the reasons why they’re so committed to quality and to their communities.
None of the other companies in our zones are owned by people that live in the community. Coffee for us goes beyond just beans. It is a reason for people to spend time together. It allows families to go out for a meal after being paid and to buy clothes for the family. These are values that outsiders don’t always understand or care about but that add to our quality of life and the social cohesion of the community.
VALENTIN KIMENYI | Gasharu Coffee
Quality and community values
Specialty coffee was Rwanda’s way out of a crisis because the country is small - you can fit 42 Rwandas inside Ethiopia - and can’t compete with its neighbours in volume. At first, top-grade Fully Washed coffees were the focus. Large companies got very good at it. The newer, smaller wet mills had to differentiate. They became very good at Naturals, Anaerobics, and other alternative processing methods.
Some of these new faces in Rwanda’s coffee sector started exporting directly to roasters through Algrano in 2020. Their Fully Washed lots are clean and fruity, and their Naturals and Anaerobics quickly became favourites. With clear notes of tropical fruits and berries and a full body, they’re perfect for espresso and milk-based drinks.
They source cherries from farm groups from districts like Rulindo and Gakenke in the North, Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru in the South, Gatsibo in the East and Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru in the West. These Washing Stations represent their land of many lakes and a thousand hills with authenticity and passion, supporting smallholders through strong bonds and community projects.
