It is very rare to be able to get a coffee that is traceable back to a single producer in Rwanda, so we feel extremely fortunate to be able to share this special lot from Faustin Ribilimana and wife Judith Kankera.
Most of the coffees sourced from Rwanda are traceable back to a washing station, or sometimes a farmer group. Washing stations in Rwanda receive cherry from hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of farmers who own very small plots of land – on average less than a quarter hectare, with just 300-600 coffee trees. Separation of such tiny lots is expensive and impractical, so the large majority of coffees are processed as a mixed lot from multiple producers. Typically, lots are separated as day lots (ie. cherries that were all picked on the same day) rather than by a single farm or producer group.
Single producer microlots like this one are very special. In this case, it is made possible due to the size of Faustin’s farm, which slightly bigger than the average farm, totalling 1,240 coffee trees across two parcels of land. Ribilimana also benefits from being a member of the Dukunde Kawa Cooperative, who operate their own dry mill, where they can process smaller lots individually, whilst minimising cost and maintaining excellent quality standards.
