About This Coffee
The cooperative was founded in 2002 with 875 coffee farmers and has since grown to 1,339 cooperative members, with 1,339 women and 1,019 men.
Koakaka has achieved several significant milestones over the years that showcase its innovative spirit. In 2014, it began to segment its women's coffee, offering high-quality, high-impact lots to the international market. In 2020, Koakaka commissioned its own dry mill.
The "Ikerecyezo women coffee" Association (Ikerecyezo means: Common vision) of Koakaka has formed women's saving schemes, and as an integral part of agriculture, women started goat farming to contribute organic fertilizers to crop production, mostly for organic food crop farming, organic coffee production, and milk to fight malnutrition. These women share all their coffee sales premium, which they have invested in purchasing three communal coffee plantations and forming an Artisans hand crafting association for handcrafted items production, such as woven bowls, styled Agaseke baskets, and other beautiful customarily woven craft items for home decor, jewelry, and textile collections.
Ikerecyezo women are well-trained, with demo plots and more than 1,000 coffee trees each. They master good agricultural practices in mulching, pruning, use of composts and manure, hand-selective ripe cherries harvesting, and more.
Cultivation
Located in the South Province of Rwanda, at the edge of Nyungwe natural forest, a protected natural reserve and green lung of the region, environmentally friendly agriculture is an objective of the cooperative, which is completed with rainforest and Organic certification.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
The cooperative collects coffee cherries from 70 collection centers implemented in 3 different districts and operates three coffee washing stations: Karambi, Muganza, and Gaseke, established in 2003, 2015, and 2017 respectively. Koakaka also owns a women's communal coffee plantation of about 4 Ha with more than 7,500 coffee trees.
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.