Key origin info:

Producer: small-holder growers from the Nyamasheke district
Processed at: Kilimbi washing station

Region: Nyamasheke
Altitude: 1600-1650 masl

Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Anoxic Natural - cherries are first submerged in cool water and covered with a sheet over which more water is poured to create an anoxic environment for a controlled fermentation lasting 48hrs. Once complete, the cherries are then slowly dried on raised beds over 4-5 weeks.

Exporter: Muraho Traing Co | Importer: Raw Material

Cup profile: Juicy, pineapple and boiled sweets

About Kilimbi & Muraho Trading Co:

Coffee for this lot was grown by small-holder farmers partnering with Kilimbi washing station in the Nyamasheke district, nearby Lake Kivu. Kilimbi, where the coffee is processed, is owned and managed by Muraho Trading Company. Run by two brothers with strong roots in the community. Muraho is a young innovative coffee company with a mission to showcase exceptional quality of Rwandan coffee whilst having a positive impact in their patterning farmer families.

Kilimbi is one of six washing stations owned and run by Muraho. Established in 2016, Kilimbi was the first station that Muraho built and it is the birthplace of the company. It is now managed by Radjab Mvuyekure and it has an estimated annual production of approximately 300-350 MT, which is produced each harvest into different volumes of honey, washed, and naturally processed coffees.. Kilimbi along with Gisheke are the only stations that get some coffee cherries delivered by boat from farmers through Lake Kivu. 

Since its inception is 2016, Kilimbi has established its firm place within the Rwandan specialty coffee industry. Alongside its exquisite traditional washed lots, Kilimbi and Rugali CWS, were some of the first stations in Rwanda’s history to legally produce and export natural and honey processed coffee. With the firm drive to continue innovating, recently Muraho added the “anoxic” method to their repertoire and produce both anoxic (referring to in cherry initial fermentation in an anoxic oxygen-free environment) washed and natural lots to add further differentiation to their range.

More about the anoxic natural processing method:

All cherry is hand-sorted before a pre-pulp float, underripe or damaged cherry is removed, along with any foreign objects. The sorted cherries are then floated in pre-pulping tanks removing any floaters before being submerged in cool water and covered with a sheet over which more water is poured to create an anoxic environment for controlled fermentation lasting 48hrs. Once complete, the cherries are then slowly dried on raised beds over 4-5 weeks. And the result is a stunningly crisp and juicy cup full of mouthwatering tropical fruits.

About Raw Material - our importing partner:

Raw Material are a community interest company green coffee importer operating in the UK, EU and Australia. The work of Raw Material is centred around the vision of “speciality coffee as a solution”. A solution to sustainably improve the livelihoods of the many small-holder producers who have been historically marginalised and not receiving adequate value for their produce and contribution in the supply stream.

As RM explain:

Often the price farmers receive is lower than their cost of production. This situation leads to cycles of debt and disadvantage that compounds over generations.

The choices of the specialty coffee industry have an outsized ability to influence positive outcomes for producers and the wider environment. The value of the specialty coffee market continues to accelerate with a projected compound annual growth rate of 11-12% across the next 5 years. Total market value was estimated to be 35 billion USD in 2018 and is expected to grow to over 80 billion USD by 2025.

This is an exciting opportunity for development through trade. This is one of the few crises in the world for which the solution is direct and self-sustaining: with the appropriate investments and continued effort, the growing demand for high-quality coffee can be fulfilled by historically marginalised groups to great long-term effect.

To change the world, we need a powerful strategy. This requires that we make tough choices not just about what we will do but also what we will not do. We don’t search for the best coffee. We search for the right communities and work with them to build systems to produce high-quality coffee and connect to a stable marketplace. When the solution is well designed and community-led, results can be achieved very quickly.

Raw Material currently focus on working with producers in Colombia, Mexico, Rwanda & Timor Leste and they are our supply partner for Mexico and now also Rwanda.

You can find out more about their vision, impact and methods here.