About This Coffee
Muhondo, a small family business started in 2013, works with producers in Gakenke, North Province to produce high-quality coffees. The station was built in 2006 by a farmer cooperative and then leased to Muhondo in 2013. In 2015, Muhondo purchased the mill and since then, they’ve continued to produce excellent coffees at their mill.
Producers cultivate coffee at the lofty altitudes of 1,850 to 2,200 meters above sea level in Rwanda’s northern hills. Muhondo works with growers to share best practices and ensure coffee is carefully cultivated and processed at their washing station.
In addition to processing cherry from smallholders, Muhondo also has a company farm that consists of 30,000 trees. Most of the trees are Red Bourbon. They use the farm to demonstrate best agronomy practices to contributing farmers. They also trial waste treatment and climate change adaptation techniques that they’ve learned from
Cultivation
In Rwanda’s northern hills, high altitudes, abundant rainfall and fertile, volcanic soil creates the ideal conditions for cultivating sweet, dense cherry.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Farmers selectively handpick ripe, red cherry and deliver it to Muhondo’s washing station. At the station, cherry is floated to remove an under- or over-ripes. Then, cherry is pulped on the station disc pulper and fermented for 18 hours. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and laid on raised beds to sundry. Parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 21 to 30 days for parchment to dry.
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.