Rwanda coffee, East Africa’s treasure

Rwanda is known as “the land of a thousand hills”. It goes without saying that this title is favorable for the growth of coffee trees! Rwandan coffee grows at altitude: it is a sought-after quality, because the beans are denser and the aromas are more concentrated.

We are proud to offer a rwanda coffee that honors this magnificent country!

The history of coffee in Rwanda

The Germans were the first to bring coffee to Rwanda at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1990s, coffee became the most important export product in the country. Following the tragic genocide of 1994, coffee will become a symbol of positivity in the community. As coffee exports come to a complete halt, Rwanda is receiving help from other countries to recover from this shocking event. Thanks to the exceptional resilience of the Rwandans, coffee cultivation is recovering and the inhabitants decide to focus more on the production of quality coffee. Increasingly, green coffee buyers around the world are showing an interest in their exceptional product.

Since 2003, the country's economy has grown at an incredible 7-8% per year, making it one of the most stable countries in the region. Coffee has undoubtedly played a big role in this fluctuation, just as it has played one in the advancement of gender equality: thanks to different initiatives, women are now more educated about agriculture and coffee culture. These changes allow them to have a more positive image of themselves and thus to integrate more into their community._Photo credit : Sucafina_Raised drying beds for coffee cherries.

Café William’s Select Harvest from Rwanda

Rwandan coffees are delicately balanced and are among the smoothest, sweetest and most floral in East Africa. Our Rwanda Select Harvest comes from Nyakarenzo Station in Rusizi District. The beans are grown at an altitude between 1500 and 1900 meters above sea level. Given the small size of the station, the micro-batches of coffee processed there are carefully selected in order to keep only the best beans.

Since the drying process is tedious, the coffee production is smaller. Lower production capacity allows coffee growers to have better control over the quality of their product. Moreover, a coffee grower in Rwanda owns on average only 183 trees!

For our Select Harvest, we have opted for naturally processed beans. This means that the coffee bean was dried while still in its cherry. There are several other drying methods for coffee, but that is the subject of another blog article.

Drying in the cherry allows the coffee bean to further develop its sugars, giving it unique flavors with more body. We believe that this Select Harvest from Rwanda will amaze you with its flavors reminiscent of ground cherry, dark chocolate and plum. A unique product that will only be offered in limited quantities. Honestly, you don't want to miss this!

It goes without saying that the continent of Africa is full of exceptional coffee plantations. More than 1,000 kilometers from Rwanda, Kenya is also a world-renowned coffee exporter. To learn more about our Kenya AA coffee and its history, click here. Also take the opportunity to discover our delicious Yirgacheffe, an elegant and surprising coffee from Ethiopia.