Notes from our importer, Mercanta Singapore:

The Musasa DukundeKawa cooperative hasfourwashing stations lying high in Rwanda’s ruggednorthwest.Ruli–the cooperative’s firstwashing station-wasbuilt by the co-op in 2003 with a developmentloan from the Rwandan government and the support of the USAID-financed PEARL project.Constructed ata vertiginous 1,999 metres above sea level, it is one of Rwanda’s highest washing stations.

The transformational PEARL programme of which it was a part switched the focus in the Rwandan coffee sector from an historic emphasis on quantity to one of quality, thus opening Rwanda up to the much more highly valued specialty coffee market. The programme and its successor, SPREAD, have been invaluable in helping Rwanda’s small-scale coffee farmers to rebuild their production in the wake of the devastating1994 genocide and the 1990s world coffee crash.

Most of the small holder producers with whom Musasa Dukunde Kawa works own less than a quarter of a hectare of land, where they cultivate an average of only 250-300 coffee trees each as well as other subsistence food crops such as maize and beans. The cooperative gives these small farmers the chance tocombine their harvests and process cherries centrally. Before the proliferation of washing stations such as Ruli, the norm in Rwanda was for small farmers to sell semi-processed cherries on to a middleman, and the market was dominated by a single exporter. This commodity-focused system-coupled with declining world prices in the 1990s-brought severe hardship to farmers, some of whom abandoned coffee entirely.

Today, it’s a different picture. Farmers who work with Musasa Dukunde Kawa have seen their income at least double, and the co-op produces some outstanding lots for the specialty market year after year. ‘Musasa’ means ‘a place to make a bed’ and ‘Dukunde Kawa’ means ‘let’s love coffee’ in Kinyarwanda-a reference to the power of coffee to improve the lives of those in rural communities.

Musasa Dukunde Kawa now owns four washing stations and is one of Rwanda’s larger cooperatives, with 1,193 members. Ruli washing station began serving local farmers in 2004 and today buys and processes cherries from 608 members and 2,000 non-members in the area.

The numbers and paperwork involved are staggering. This is the headquarters for the cooperative.All of this is overseen by Wet Mill Manager Valens Ntezimana, who has held the post since 2012. Under his direction and with the help of46permanent employees and231seasonal workers, Rulihas grown to process 9 containers of exportable coffee, of which Mercanta selects the finest.

This specific lot is produced by105 exceptional female producers and underwent the Natural processing method. The level of care that Musasa Dukunde Kawa Ruli takes over the processing is impressive. Cherries are hand-picked only when fully ripe and delivered to the wet mill. They are sorted and dispersed on raised beds to dry for 45 days or until11%moisture content is reached. The coffee is then stored in parchment in Ruli’s purpose-built warehouse prior to final dry-milling and hand-sorting at the Cooperative’s brand-new dry mill in Kigali. Each coffee that arrives is also cupped by Musasa’s team of expert cuppers along with the Q-graders oftheir exporting partner, Rwashocco.

Lots are usually separated out by days. Upon delivery as cherry, the coffee receives a paper ‘ticket’ that follows the lot through all its processing. This ticket bears the date of harvest and the grade (A1, A2 etc) ofthe coffee–for instance, if a coffee lot is called ‘Lot 1-06/04-A1’, this means it was the first lot processed on April 4 and the grade is A1. This simple but effective practice is a crucial tool in controlling quality and ensuring the traceability of lots.

In addition to the great work that the cooperative does with quality improvement and assurance, they also have various social programs that greatly contribute to the livelihoods of their members. School fees and medical insurance are provided along with training in quality and productivity in cultivation of coffee.The cooperative also gives cows as bonus payment for quality cherry. These cows not only produce milk for cheese, which helps improve diets and provides supplementary income for farmers, they also provide fertiliser for coffee! The cooperative has also invested in a fleet of tailor-made bikes that help small holders deliver their cherry to the cooperative's washing stations. This not only reduces the labour required for producers but also means that it is easier to deliver cherry on the same day as picking, which helps ensure greater quality.

The premiums earned from this women-produced coffee are directly reinvested into initiatives that support these women, many of whom are widows, genocide survivors, and heads of their households. This revenue funds vital off-season projects like handicrafts, micro-savings programs, and small livestock farming, empowering them to build a sustainable future for their families.

Mercanta has been buying from Musasa Dukunde Kawasince 2007-and we hope this relationship will continue for many years to come.