Kigali- On a small coffee production farm in the volcanic region northwest of Rwanda, we had another experience with a new success story in the Land of a Thousand Hills.
On this family farm called “Kigovi Coffee”, 10 permanent employees and 12 temporary workers work to produce Bourbon Arabica coffee, and the number of employees can increase during the harvest season.
The farm is located at an altitude of 1,510 meters and covers an area of 3.7 hectares. It produces 5 to 10 tons of coffee annually, depending on the weather and other variables, and those in charge are seeking to expand the project in the future.
“Since 1999, the farm has been practicing sustainable agriculture and collaborating with neighboring small farmers to expand shade coffee cultivation and agroecology, as well as reinvesting in value-added organic and local products,” says Jean-Pierre Bezosa Sebagini, the farm’s manager.
Community roles
The mission of the farm is not limited to coffee production, but extends to community roles such as promoting relevant opportunities for training and developing the skills of farmers, agronomists, beekeepers, and cattle herders, as well as promoting local tourism companies active in the areas of hiking, cycling, bird watching, canoeing and fishing. Fish and hot springs.
Some agricultural cooperatives and washing stations offer tours for tourists and visitors explaining the coffee production process throughout the year.
From farm to markets
Sebagini takes us on a tour inside the farm, where coffee trees fill the sides of the road, pregnant with small green beans.
Hundreds of short trees are waiting for harvest time to begin the actual production process of one of the finest types of coffee on the African continent and the world.
Coffee plants flower in September and October, and between March and July the coffee fruits are ready for harvest.
“The period between the full moon process and the harvest is 3 years, and the harvest includes collecting the red cherries, weighing and sorting them with high quality and separating them from the immature or over-ripe ones or those with defects, then removing the skin and then washing and fermenting them,” Sebagini explains to Al Jazeera Net. .
After washing the entire crop, it is placed to dry in the sun, with coverage available in case of rain. Drying takes place at a moisture content of approximately 12.5%.
After obtaining a dry coffee bean with a thin outer shell, the farm manager confirms, this shell is removed to obtain a green coffee bean ready for roasting or export.
History of coffee in Rwanda
This was a glimpse of a small farm among hundreds of farms in Rwanda. What about the history of coffee in the country?
Sebagini says that the Germans introduced coffee to Rwanda in 1904. In the 1930s, under Belgian administration, it turned into a plant of collective cultivation, and later played a major role in the agricultural economy.
Coffee remained a leading export crop after independence in 1962, and the focus was on quantity rather than quality, which led to coffee being transformed into a product that is viewed as a basic commodity, Sebagini adds.
In the year 2000, the coffee cultivation and industry witnessed a radical transformation, as open market mechanisms were adopted, and emphasis was placed on the production of specialty coffee through restructuring the sector, encouraging and merging cooperatives and other community support structures.
After great efforts, Rwandan coffee was introduced to international markets to gain international recognition and attention, and the coffee industry became a major source of income for many farmers, and one of the most important sources of foreign exchange in the country, along with tea.
Quality before quantity
A group of 450,000 small farmers produce coffee across Rwanda, and the country’s coffee industry focuses on quality rather than quantity.
Rwandan coffee farms produce 95% of high-quality Boron (Arabica) coffee, and the annual quantity produced in the country ranges from 20,000 to 22,000 tons, and the lion’s share of this production is exported to foreign markets.
Types of coffee grown in Rwanda include “Catura”, “Katwai” and Bourbon, and the United States, Europe and Asia are among the most important markets that Rwandan coffee reaches, in addition to Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Singapore and other countries, according to the Rwanda Development Council.
According to data from the World Bank and the World Trade Organization, the value of Rwandan coffee exports amounts to $93 million, occupying a prominent position in the structure of the Rwandan economy.
In 2018, Rwandan coffee trade began on the world’s largest e-commerce platform (Alibaba), after the Rwandan government entered into a partnership with the e-commerce giant to trade Rwandan products in the online market. This partnership led to sales growth of more than 700%. On Alibaba’s electronic platforms.
Globally, coffee production increased by 0.1%, reaching 168.2 million bags of coffee (weighing 60 kilograms) in the 2022/2023 season, and coffee prices currently reach about $2.45 per pound (0.453 grams).
Brazil is the largest coffee-producing country in the world, and accounts for about 40% of the global supply of this substance, which turns into an ever-popular drink.
