Coffees from Mushonyi washing station never fail to impress, and this lot is no exception. This Red Bourbon Natural lot is everything you want from a Natural process Rwandan coffee. Plus, as a member of our partner RWACOF (Sucafina in Rwanda), farmers delivering to Mushonyi experience a range of benefits, from second payment bonuses to agricultural and quality improvement training. 

ABOUT THIS COFFEE

All purchases of this lot contribute towards our Beyond Flagship project in Rwanda: Coffee Productivity & Income Diversification. The initiative supports coffee farming families in Rwanda by investing in regenerative agriculture and livelihood diversification – key strategies that can contribute to closing the living income gap.

Mushonyi washing station is situated just one kilometer away from the shores of Lake Kivu. The 1,200 growers that deliver cherry to this station live and farm on the hills surrounding Mushonyi. In these hills, the altitude can vary from a low of 1,600 meters above sea level to a high of 1,950 meters above sea level. Farmers, on average, cultivate only about 300 coffee trees on their small plots. Many also intercrop bananas, eucalyptus and cassava to generate additional income.  

Mushonyi was originally built by the army. At the time, the army was anticipating high volumes of cherry, and they built to size. The station has eight fermentation tanks, a standard washing channel and cherry sorting shed for additional sorting before cherry is de-pulped. Rwacof maintains this infrastructure in pristine condition, even in years when the washing station’s capacity exceeds the volume of cherry delivered. 

HARVEST & POST-HARVEST

After purchasing cherry from producers, Mushonyi sends the cherry through a strict sorting process. First, washing station staff remove any lower quality cherry through flotation. Then, a specially trained staff visually inspects the remaining cherry for any visual defects.  

Following sorting, cherry is laid to dry in the sun on raised beds where it is turned regularly to ensure even drying.