Rwanda FW Sholi Fairtrade / RFA (2020 Crop)

This fully washed, screen 15+ coffee comes from Abateraninkunga Ba Sholi Co-operative in the Muhanga district of Rwanda. Farms range between 1,800 - 2,000 masl and cultivate the Bourbon variety, and the membership is both Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance certified.

THE PRODUCERS

Sholi co-op started as a small association of 30 women. They brought together their strengths in smallholder farming and put a financial support system in place, to help each other grow mutually. Back then, coffee was only a small part of the association. There was no profitable market for coffee cherries as there was no washing station in area. After 2 years Sholi became a fully fledged co-operative, and from this point on, men also joined. Slowly the cooperative started growing, adding new members every year and in 2014, Sholi opened its very own washing station. Now farmers from the whole area could bring their cherries to the washing station and use state of the art processing facilities to ensure higher quality and prices. By centrally processing the cherries, better quality control is ensured, there is improved market access and pricing, and thus the lives and financial situation of members and farmers.

Sholi also take their environmental impact very seriously. This includes careful irrigation techniques to mitigate soil erosion, water rotation in the washing station to avoid waste water, and the re-use of organic waste by-products as organic fertilizer for farmers.

THE PROCESS

This coffee utilizes a traditional East African fully washed process. Red ripe cherries are delivered by farmers to the washing station where they are hand sorted to select only the highest quality. The cherries are de-pulped and then fermented for 12 - 18 hours to break down the remaining mucilage. The coffee is then thoroughly washed in grading channels and then soaked in clean water. After this point the coffee - still in it's outer husk or 'parchment' is dried in the sun on raised African beds for an average of 21 days, or until the optimum moisture content has been reached.

THE REGION

Rwanda is poetically known as "the land of a thousand hills" and Muhanga district is no exception. With rolling mountains, rich soils and plentiful sunshine, the region boasts an exceptional terroir for arabica cultivation. This mountainous terrain makes mechanisation of harvesting impossible and the transportaion of coffee very challenging. Nevertheless coffee plays a huge role in the growing Rwandan economy and the increased demand for washed specialty arabicas from this small but beautiful country have allowed it to become one of the region's most highly regarded producers.