Bittersweetness unfolds to flavors of unrefined sugar, creamy caramel, dashes of baking spice, chocolate-covered raisin, and a sharp hint of orange peel.
The washing station Kageyo lies in the highlands surrounding the southeastern shores of Lake Kivu in Rwanda’s Ngororero district. In fact, Kageyo was the 1st place winner of Rwanda’s Cup of Excellence coffee competition in 2011.
But other than winning this competition, the cooperative struggled during this time, taking out a bank loan to build a new wet mill that low harvests and insufficient mill capacity made it difficult to repay. A private exporter stepped in to help out, purchasing the wet mill, but leaving the farmer cooperative structure intact. This has benefited the coop in that they are absolved of their loan debt, have a direct connection with the specialty market through a well-established export partner, and retain a supply chain that is completely transparent.
The wet mill recently underwent renovation, expanding their milling infrastructure in order to increase their production capabilities. We have our fingers crossed that it will be safe to return in 2022. The association is made up of small farmers situated around this 2000 meter wet mill, and coffee in the region is some of the highest altitudes we see in all of Rwanda. Like much of Rwanda, the coffee planted in the region is Bourbon variety.
Bean Spec:
- Origin:,Rwanda
- Region: Ngororero District
- Producer: Kageyo station
- Cultivar: Bourbon
- Processing: Washed
- Sourcing: Sweet Maria’s