Rwanda Huye Mountain Natural

Watermelon, strawberry, light tropical, caramel
TOP LOT
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Bag Weight 60 KG BAG
Harvest Season 2023/24
Status Spot
Lot Number P8002219-1
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About This Coffee

Huye Mountain coffee was started by David Rubanzangabo in 2012, working with 500 local smallholder farmers over a total farmed area of 28 hectares. A veteran of the Rwandan coffee industry since 1998, David has used his experience to improve the inherent quality and sustainability of the supply chain. Practically this has been achieved through shared training and micro-loans for farmers to invest in equipment, water supply and agricultural inputs.

Huye Mountain now work with over 1,300 farmers and have performed well in national awards such as the Cup of Excellence, including 2nd place in 2012.

Origin Rwanda
Subregion Huye district
Harvest Season 2023/24
Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
Processing Natural/Dry Processed
Plant Species Arabica
Variety Bourbon
Coffee Grade RWA CA NAT SPL SD
Screen Size 15 Up
Bag Weight 60 KG BAG
Bag Types Grain Pro / Ecotact

The Region

The Huye micro-region was one of the first to produce top specialty coffee in the country. Like much of Rwanda - “the land of a thousand hills” - the terrain is mountainous, rugged and exceptionally beautiful. Rich volcanic soils, plentiful sunshine, and tropical rainfall provide exceptional conditions for the cultivation of arabica, and the Bourbon variety particularly excels in the high elevations of Rwanda’s mountains.

The Art of Production

Ripe cherries are carefully selected - first by hand and then by floatation. The cherries are then dried in the sun on raised African beds for 3-4 weeks.

History of Coffee in Rwanda 

The commercialization of coffee came about gradually in Rwanda and coffee was always produced on smallholder farms. Independence brought some improvement to the coffee infrastructure as the government established more modern and centralizing processing. But this meant the government set the price they would pay for coffee and farmers had no other options. There was no focus on quality because there was no incentive whatsoever. Despite much of the coffee being Bourbon, there was no sorting or grading so all the coffee was commercial grade. Rwanda exported 642,000 bags of coffee in 1993 and 447,000 in 1994. Then, as something of a stark reminder of the genocide, Rwanda exported a mere 22,000 bags in 1995. Today, Rwanda exports only 43% of what it did in 1993, but current exports represent much greater value because for the last 20 years the focus has been on quality rather than quantity. Rwanda’s ideal growing conditions are no longer wasted on poor processing. New washing stations have opened in all coffee growing regions, innovative cupping labs that arrive built into shipping containers, and cooperatives have been established. For the last 10 years, Rwandan specialty coffees consistently rank among the finest in the world.

  • Subregion Huye district
  • Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
  • Processing Natural/Dry Processed
  • Bag Types Grain Pro / Ecotact
  • Plant Species Arabica
  • Variety Bourbon
  • Screen Size 15 Up
  • On Sale No
  • Top Lot Yes
  • Price Per Kg €10.75
  • Status Spot
  • Coffee Grade RWA CA NAT SPL SD
  • CTRM Contract Number P8002219-1
  • Origin Rwanda
  • Warehouse Vollers Hamburg