Rwanda FW A - Nkora (2017/18 Crop)

This is a Fully Wwashed A grade, Red Bourbon coffee from Nkora in the Western Province of Rwanda. The Nkora washing satation is known to be the oldest and largest coffee washing station in Rwanda. It was established in 1957 and rests along the shores of Lake Kivu in the Rutsiro District. Over 5,000 farmers participate in processing their crop to this washing station - many working independently and 420 producers are organized within the primary cooperative called COCANCO (Cooperative Des Cafeiculteurs de N'Kora). The coffee is processed and fermented for 12 hours and souked for another 8 before flowing through density channels - the preliminary grading system. A gravity pipeline allows workers to easily transfer the wet coffee from the graded basins to the pre-drying space where it is hand-picked for quality assurance. Finally it is dried on raised beds for 15-30 days, depending on the wether conditions. The collection area sits at 1500-1700 masl (with coffees grown from 1400-1900 masl) and is powered by a micro-hydropower station that also provides - through renewable means - energy for the surrounding community. This includes a primaryschool on site that provides free education to the farmers' children.