Blackberry, dried fruit, grapefruit flavor; with subtle coca and spice ending
Akagera National Park in Rwanda
The station was previously owned by a cooperative of farmers. Farmers deliver to the station predominantly in the areas surrounding Lake Kivu and Nyungwe Natural Forest. Today, over 420 farmers deliver cherry to the station.
Farms around Akagera station range from heights of 1,535 to 2,000+ meters above sea level. These high altitudes make the land particularly well suited for coffee cultivation. Most farms in the surrounding area cultivate coffee and/or tea, which also does best at high altitudes.
- Origin: Rwanda
- Region: Nyamasheke, Western Province
- Altitude: 1535-2000m
- Producer: Akagera station
- Cultivar: Red bourbon
- Processing: Natural
About Rwanda coffee growing
Farmers in Rwanda have small coffee plots, usually around 250 trees. Most coffee trees are intercropped with food crops like maize and potatoes. Despite their small size, for many, coffee remains the main cash crop and their biggest source of income throughout the year.
In the early 2000s the Rwandan government, with the input of international partners, identified coffee as a potentially key generator of much needed export revenue. To improve the quality of coffee, the government has incentivized the creation of new washing stations in coffee producing areas and has partnered with local stakeholders to make sure that farmers are the main beneficiaries.
As one measure to this end, the government supports washing stations by providing inputs. The stations, in turn, transport the inputs from government warehouses to the area so farmers can access them more easily. The station is also involved in training farmers how to use inputs properly.
As part of Rusatira’s dedication to coffee farmers, Akagera station, in addition to most of Baho’s stations, also organizes Farmer Field Schools (FFS). FFS are groups of 20-30 farmers who live and farm close to one another. The farmers elect a lead farmer who attends trainings at the station. The lead farmer returns to their area and teaches the group they lead using a centrally-located demonstration plot. Through the FFS, farmers learn about soil conservation, water protection, waste management and more.