Gaseke Fully Washed

The route to Gaseke washing station follows the borders of Burundi and Congo in the southernmost corner of Western Rwanda. The station, built in 2016, enjoys incredible views of the Nyakabuye Valley below. While the elevation of Gaseke station is slightly lower than many of the stations along the shores of Lake Kivu, its orientation offers maximum sun exposure, a precious resource necessary for drying cherry and parchment. 

There are 396 farmers who work the land surrounding Gaseke station and deliver cherry to the station. Of those farmers, nearly one-quarter are female and another one-quarter are youth.

Gaseke station’s symbiotic relationship with another nearby station, Mashesha, allows the area’s coffee production to have its cake and eat it too. Since Mashesha sits at a lower elevation at the bottom of a hill, it has focused on producing larger volumes and have fewer specialty lots. Gaseke station, which has optimal sun exposure, focuses more on producing specialty lots and thus, produces smaller volumes. 

The benefits from the collaboration of the two stations are twofold. For the farmers, Mashesha and Gaseke stations, with their different needs, represent two very different markets and enable farmers to sell a much larger portion of their cherry. For roasters, the two stations mean that coffee from this area will be both plentiful and high quality, which satisfies every need and price point. 

Farmers in the region frequently intercrop coffee with rice, potatoes and maize. These crops typically serve as long-lasting food crops that provide sustenance for the family throughout the year.  

Cherry is handpicked by farmers and brought to Gaseke station daily. Cherry is sorted to remove defects and then pulped before being fermented for 12 to 18 hours. 

After fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and spread in thin layers to dry on raised beds. Once here, the coffee is regularly sifted to ensure even drying and is sorted to remove any visible defects and imperfections. The station’s position gives it excellent sun exposure that enables consistent and controlled drying.

In concert with our sustainability partner, Kahawatu Foundation, RWACOF invests heavily in yield improvements, farmer training, quality improvement projects, environmental sustainability and other ways to increase farmer livelihoods.

RWACOF’s Farmer Development Program in partnership with the London School of Economics (LSE) supports farmers with training in Good Agricultural Practices and access to loans, farm inputs and farm services. A new soil health initiative uses soil analysis data that RWACOF collected to identify farms where soil is too acidic. Lime, along with education about application, is distributed to these farmers to help improve soil quality. Additionally, seedling nurseries provide up to 4 million seedlings per year to help farmers renovate their rootstock.

RWACOF also has many projects that are designed to support farmers’ overall livelihoods. They focus on gender equality and support several women’s cooperatives by helping them access land, seedlings and reach a market for their coffees. They offer trainings on financial literacy and alternative income-generating activities.

On the environmental side, RWACOF has worked with partners to help install solar panels at 2 washing stations that are off the electrical grid. RWACOF’s dry mill already have a 50 kilowatt-per-hour solar panel set up on their roof. They’ve also mapped carbon emissions in their coffee supply chain and are starting projects to half their emissions per kg of coffee. Two ways they’re accomplishing this is by facilitating a transition from inorganic to organic fertilizer and further improve waste (water and pulp) management at the wet mills. They’re also working with Trade in Space to map deforestation in the supply chain so that they can begin to work with farmers to reduce deforestation and improve forested areas in the supply chain.

Above all, RWACOF's exceptional attention to detail during post-harvest activities ensures the best quality coffee possible. From the moment cherry enters the washing station until it is milled and bagged for export, RWACOF keeps stringent quality controls in place. They know, as we do, that high-quality coffee is crucial for delivering benefit all along the supply chain.