Rwanda Sholi Kundwa Women's Coffee Natural

The Region

The head office and the coffee plantations of Sholi coffee washing station are located at Cyeza Sector, Muhanga District. The region is known for its diverse fruit farming and ancient rocks called Sebwugugu.

The changes in the neighbourhood after the establishment of Sholi cooperative have been miraculous. The process started with a large growth in local population - a lot of people moved away from high-risk zones to a settlement area. Sholi brought a lot of jobs to the community and with them came increased food security, better living conditions and reliable income to pay for health insurance and school fees. As part of their vision to invest in the local community, Sholi the co-operative also built a health centre, a water source and a village hall, all of which can be accessed by the whole community, including non-members. 

Everyone at Sholi is treated equally regardless of age, gender, religion or disability. The co-operative offers health insurance and a loan system so members manage cash flow and pay for necessities like school fees. 

Rwanda is poetically known as “the land of a thousand hills” and Muhanga district is no exception. With rolling mountains, rich soils and plentiful sunshine, the region boasts an exceptional terroir for arabica cultivation. This mountainous terrain makes mechanisation of harvesting impossible and the transportaion of coffee very challenging. Nevertheless coffee plays a huge role in the growing Rwandan economy and the increased demand for washed specialty arabicas from this small but beautiful country have allowed it to become one of the region’s most highly regarded producers.