RWANDA RUGALI Estate

In Rwanda, our export partners are Raw Material and the Muraho Trading Co. This partnership helps affiliate co-operatives increase their quality of production, fetch a higher price for their coffee, and introduce themselves to new markets. Through this process a model has been developed that creates incentives which generate producer buy-in, all while maximizing impact.

Rugali has become an impactful example of a successful washing station for the specialty coffee market. It is a station that has in just a few years produced coffees that have been used in competitions worldwide and put the Nyamasheke District on the map for high quality processed Rwandan coffees.

All cherry is hand-sorted before a pre-pulp float. Once the cherry is sorted and cleaned, it is ready to be dried. The cherries are laid out evenly across raised beds, providing consistent airflow to prevent moisture and animals encountering the cherry.

Coffee is then released into a large serpentine grading channel. This process also separates parchment into different density grades. During the washing process, parchment is continuously agitated to encourage lower density parchment to float and to clean any residual mucilage off the parchment. Once the parchment is separated into grades, it is given a final post-wash rinse. At this point, coffee is taken to a pre-drying area where the parchment is hand sorted removing any insect-damaged, discoloured, or chipped coffee. The parchment is laid out to dry and turned on a regular basis throughout the day for 30 days.