Key origin info:

Key Origin Info:

Producer: small-holder growers from the Cyesha colline iin Nyamasheke district
Processed at: Cyesha washing station owned and run by Muraho Trading Company

Region: Nyamasheke
Altitude: 1460 - 1720 masl

Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Anoxic natural - cherries are first fermented in covered tanks (oxygen-free environment) before being slowly dried in cherry on raised beds

Exporter: Muraho Trading Co | Importer: Raw Material

Cup profile: Juicy & sweet, maraschino cherry & apricot jam

Purchasing history: First purchase form Cyesha 2024, purchasing through Muraho since 2021

About Cyesha and Muraho Trading Co:

Cyesha (read Che-sha) is a washing station located on the shores of Lake Kivu in the Nyamasheke District. It is owned and operated by Muraho Trading- our key export partner in Rwanda. Muraho purchased Cyesha as an existing station in a rundown state and fully modernised it. Now boasting a pilot water treatment and composting system designed to not only purify water used in processing but also compost coffee pulp turning it into organic manure distributed to the farmer families supplying the station. Overseen by an experienced manager Joseph, the station purchases cherry from 470 local growers and produces washed, honeys and natural lots. This stunning natural from Cyesha shines with sweet tropical fruit and juicy acidity.

Cyesha is one of Muraho Trading Co’s newest stations in the Nyamasheke region. The coffee of this area grows on volcanic soils, a highly fertile medium for the cultivation of high-quality red bourbon cherries. Currently producers face two large hurdles to increasing their production yields; the high price of fertilisers, and ageing coffee trees. In spite of these issues, Cyesha redistributes a nutrient-rich organic compost which is created by combining coffee pulp discarded during processing with grass cuttings. Their goal is to continue increasing the volumes they purchase from producers, whilst assisting them in increasing their yields, ensuring they can maximise the profits their land can produce for them. To do so, fifty thousand new seedlings will be distributed every year, alongside rejuvenating techniques applied to old trees such as pruning and stumping.

Muraho’s Anoxic natural process:

• Once cherries are received, they are hand-picked and floated to ensure only those of the best quality continue to the processing stage. These cherries are placed into a deep cleaned fermentation tank. A sheet is then placed over the cherries, which is then submerged with cool water.

• The seal created by the water pressing onto the sheeting creates a vacuum effect on the coffee below, creating an anoxic environment for fermentation to begin, which lasts for 48 hours. The water and sheet act as not only a sealant, but a heat exchange, allowing the heat build up to transfer to the water, which evaporates away. A stabilised temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius ensures that the cherry doesn’t over ferment. This temperature is regularly monitored, and if it falls too low for fermentation to continue, hot water is added to the water pillow, to provide warmth to the fermenting coffee underneath.

• Once the fermentation is complete, the water is drained, and the sheet is removed. The now fermented coffee is rinsed and drained of all residual liquid.
  To continue into the natural processing phase, coffee is dried in cherry on raised beds for between 4 to 5 weeks. The raised beds ensure optimum circulation of airflow, assisted by the cherry being turned every 30 minutes of the duration of its drying!

All of Muraho’s coffee is consolidated at their central hub and washing station Rugali, based near Lake Kivu and in proximity to all local station. This is where Muraho’s own dry mill is located, ensuring full control over the final milling and export preparation process as well as providing much needed employment in the rural area.