Our search has ended! We found another great coffee from Rwanda. This coffee is fresh off the boat and is a new crop. It is winey with a bit of acidity. It has a rich syrupy body that is great any time of the day. Our Rwanda is a wonderful medium-roast. Note: This coffee is washed, which means that the layers of the coffee cherry fruit were gently stripped off before the bean was dried. This leaves a wonderfully clean consistent and bright coffee.
About the Farmers
Perched on the steep hills of the of West province of Rwanda Gisenyi, the Coopérative pour la Promotion des Activités-Café (COOPAC), is set on the shores of Lake Kivo below seven Virunga volcanoes. The region's high altitude, heavy rainfall, and mineral-rich soils provide perfect conditions for growing the finest Arabica coffees.
Coffee has long been Rwanda’s largest export, but production plunged following the genocide of 1994. Despite these challenges, COOPAC has doubled its production each year since its 2001 founding. The Rwandan coffee industry was entirely controlled by government and foreign entities until 1994, but COOPAC is a leading example of locally-owned coffee enterprises and demonstrates the potential of the Rwandan coffee market to benefit local communities.
Fair Trade Certified by the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) since 2003, COOPAC focuses on gender equality, economic development, and environmental conservation.
The Fair Trade price has enabled COOPAC to establish various social and productive programs.
Education-The co-op's first year of Fair Trade revenues were invested in the construction of two primary schools. The cooperative also offers education credits.
Productive Investment- COOPAC has initiated a livestock distribution program in which members are provided with cows and goats and then distribute the livestock's offspring to other members. This program was initiated in tandem with an organic conversion program.
Credit Program- COOPAC offers low-interest financing to members.
The gentleman featured is the president of the co-op and has been a coffee farmer all his life, as was his father and grandfather before him
Photos courtesy of Peter Kettler
Transportation Improvements- COOPAC has built health care clinics, roads and bridges with contributions from Fair Trade funds.
