About This Coffee
The cooperative has a rich history of investing in women's development as a means to alleviate poverty in the coffee community. It has established a women's association within the cooperative known as the “Rambagira Kawa Women Group.” This group cultivates and sells “women's coffee,” engages in embroidery and weaving as a diversification activity during the offseason.
Rambagira Kawa exports their coffee separately as coffee grown by women, thus generating additional income for their children's education and enhancing the livelihood of their coffee community. Additionally, Rambagira Kawa has founded a sewing association and executed a program aimed at producing and exporting traditional Rwandan hand-woven baskets.
The Dukunde Kawa Cooperative firmly believes that coffee encompasses more than just its delightful taste or the energy it provides. It is also about transforming lives. A commendable cooperative is one that fosters the prosperity of its communities. Farmers collaborating with Musasa Dukunde Kawa have been able to purchase their own livestock, access long-term interest-free credit, and annually pay for health insurance. Furthermore, the cooperative erected two schools for local children in 2006. Many farmers have renovated their homes, resulting in all members’ homes having tiled roofs and cemented structures.
Since 2012, Dukunde Kawa has directly provided 220 dairy cows to members in need, aiming to produce organic manure for their coffee farms. This practice continues in line with Rwandan tradition, where the first heifer/calf spirit, commonly known as “kuzitura / kwitura,” is passed on. In 2015, the Musasa Diary was established in response to the abundant milk production and farmers' requests for collection centers. Presently, the Diary business collects, processes, and manufactures milk products such as fresh milk, fermented milk, yogurt, and cheeses.
Cultivation
Dukunde Kawa MUSASA is renowned for its high-quality coffee grown in rich volcanic soil to sand-clay in the rolling hills to an altitude of 1,800 – 2,200 m just near the mountain gorilla habitat.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Today, the cooperative counts 1,193 members of which 304 are women, and operates 4 wet mills (Coffee washing station) and a state-of-the-art dry mill.
Sustainable Harvest
Sustainable Harvest® is a specialty coffee trader focusing primarily on bringing coffees to market that are sourced from smallholder farmer cooperatives in the supply chain such as indigenous communities, women groups and the next generation of coffee farmers.
Their sourcing model is built on transparency, traceability and direct relationships between quality-minded coffee roasters and best-in-class coffee producers. Sustainable Harvest® has an on-site presence at origin with staff in Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru. Each office coordinates their supply including quality management, supplier relationships, source development, logistics, training and capacity building.
Coffee in Rwanda
Despite its turbulent history, today Rwanda is one of the specialty coffee world’s darlings – for good reason! Our sister company in Rwanda does an amazing job of bringing the best that Rwanda has to offer to roasters around the world.
German missionaries and settlers brought coffee to Rwanda in the early 1900s. Largescale coffee production was established during the 1930 & 1940s by the Belgian colonial government. Coffee production continued after the Belgian colonists left. By 1970, coffee had become the single largest export in Rwanda and accounted for 70% of total export revenue. Coffee was considered so valuable that, beginning in 1973, it was illegal to tear coffee trees out of the ground.
Between 1989 and 1993, the breakdown of the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) caused the global price to plummet. The Rwandan government and economy took a hard hit from low global coffee prices. The 1994 genocide and its aftermath led to a complete collapse of coffee exports and vital USD revenue, but the incredible resilience of the Rwandan people is evident in the way the economy and stability have recovered since then.
Modern Rwanda is considered one of the most stable countries in the region. Since 2003, its economy has grown by 7-8% per year and coffee production has played a key role in this economic growth. Coffee has also played a role in Rwanda's significant advancements towards gender equality. New initiatives that cater to women and focus on helping them equip themselves with the tools and knowledge for farming have been changing the way women view themselves and interact with the world around them.
Today, smallholders propel the industry in Rwanda forward. The country doesn’t have any large estates. Most coffee is grown by the 400,000+ smallholders, who own less than a quarter of a hectare. The majority of Rwanda’s coffee production is Arabica. Bourbon variety plants comprise 95% of all coffee trees cultivated in Rwanda.