Rwanda Specialty Green Coffee
Transparently traded, women-grown.
Kungahara
Processes: fully-washed, natural, carbonic maceration
Parent co-op: Bwishaza
Location: Western Province, Rutsiro district, Gihango sector
Elevation: 1700-1900 m
Rambagirakawa
Processes: Fully-washed, Natural
Parent co-op: Dukundekawa Musasa
Location: Northern Province, Gakenke district, Ruli cell
Elevation: 1800 - 2020m
Ejo Heza
Process: fully-washed
Parent co-op: Kopakama
Location: Western Province, Rutsiro district, Mushubati sector
Elevation: 1800-2000 m
Agaseke
Process: fully-washed
Parent co-op: Kopakaki Dugegure
Location: Western Province, Karonigi district, Rubengera sector
Elevation: 1600-1800 m
Special Processes
Processes offered: natural, carbonic maceration
Parent co-ops: Bwishaza and Dukundekawa Musasa
Women’s Groups: Kunghara and Rambagirakawa
Locations: Western Province and Northern Province
Rambagirakawa
The Rambagirakawa women have worked together since 2018, and today they are more than 200 members strong. In the off-season, they weave beautiful traditional Rwandan baskets to earn extra income.
They have also benefited from the support of Days for Girls, an NGO that sends them materials and sewing machines. With these, the Rambagirakawa coffee-farming women sew feminine hygiene kits, which are donated to girls throughout their rural, mountainous area.
When the idea came up to turn an abandoned building on the cooperative’s property into a daycare center for toddlers too young to go to school, the women fully backed it. Read about the Early Childhood Development Center to learn more.
The women also used the premium from Artisan Coffee Imports (paid for by you, the roaster!) to help purchase new land with coffee trees. That means there will be even more delicious Rambagirakawa women’s coffee in the years to come!
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With special order: honey, anaerobic
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Dukundekawa Musasa: 1400 members, 289 women
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"Rambagirakawa" means 'professional women owning and growing coffee trees.'
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Variety: Arabica-Bourbon
Grade: A1, screen 14 - 16
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Region: North, Gakenke district; Musasa washing station
Elevation: 5,200-6,000 ft/ 1,600-1,800m
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Upon request: Fair trade FLO, Rainforest, certified organic
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Estimated to arrive in November to Continental, NJ and Oakland, CA
Rambagirakawa At a Glance
Rambagirakawa Gender Equity
The Rambagirakawa women work together in their coffee plot and on non-coffee projects. Non-coffee projects generate non-coffee income and benefit girls and vulnerable populations in their community.
Dukundekawa Cutting Edge Machines
The parent cooperative of these women has access to some of Rwanda's most cutting edge machinery for washing stations. Read more details…
Rambagirakawa Cupping Notes: Fully-Washed
Rambagirakawa Cupping Notes: Natural
Agaseke
Agaseke is a traditional Rwandan pointed top basket. Rwandan women are famous for being excellent weavers of these baskets. Rwandans use these baskets to present gifts to each other.
Ruth Ann met the leaders of Kopakaki cooperative in 2016. In 2020 she started importing the coffee of their women’s group, Agaseke, as the group’s first buyer.
Suddenly they were “on the map” and getting organized with officers, trainings and a plan for how to spend Artisan’s premium. The cooperative has 990 members, 265 of whom are the women Agaseke.
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Kopakaki Dutegure. 990 members; 265 women.
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"Agaseke" is the name of a classic Rwandan basket with a pointed top. It is used to present gifts.
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Variety: Arabica-Bourbon
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Region: West, Karongi district
Elevation: 5,200-6,000 ft/ 1,600-1,800m
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Fair Trade FLO, Rainforest
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Arrives in NOVEMBER to Continental, NJ and Oakland, CA.
Agaseke At a Glance
Agaseke Cupping Notes: Anaerobic
Story of Agaseke Women’s Group
At the end of a tour of the washing station, visitors to the Kopakaki (parent) cooperative can buy a nicely packaged bag of ROASTED Agaseke beans.
Agaseke Origin Notes
From Rwanda's Western Province, Karongi district, the washing station is just off a main road.
Agaseke Cupping Notes: Fully-Washed
Agaseke Map
Located in Karongi district, Western Province, close to Lake Kivu
Kungahara
Kungahara means “be rich” in Kinyarwanda. Angelique TUYISENGE, president of the women’s group; the landscape surrounding Bwishaza cooperative’s drying tables and pulping pavilion.
Artisan first met Bwishaza’s leaders in 2016. We are now in our fourth year of partnering with this small cooperative (596 members) and their women’s group, Kungahara, of 206 women.
The women have been using the premiums Artisan pays to pay down their loan they took out to buy a plot of land which they planted with coffee and they farm together.
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*With special order: Anaerobic
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Bwishaza cooperative: 596 members, 206 women.
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"Kungahara" means "be rich" in Kinyarwanda. Ms. TUYISENGE is president of the young group of 206 women.
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Variety: Arabica-Bourbon
Grade: A1, screen 13 - 16
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Region: West, Rutsiro district
Elevation: 1,650-1,800 masl
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Fair Trade FLO
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Arrives in November to Continental, NJ and Oakland, CA.
Kungahara At a Glance
Story of the Kungahara Women
In 2017 a Korean non-profit organization, Beautiful Coffee, helped this cooperative form a women's group.
Kungahara Cupping Notes: Natural
Kungahara Origin Notes
In the wake of the genocide, women made up about 65 percent of the surviving population. They had little choice but to fill the roles once occupied by men.
Kungahara Cupping Notes: Fully-Washed
Bwishaza-Kungahara Map
Western Province, Rutsiro District, Gihango sector
Kungahara Cupping Notes: Carbonic Maceration
Ejo Heza
Since 2016, Artisan Coffee Imports has been importing and promoting the incredible Ejo Heza women and their coffee.
Ruth Ann first arrived at Kopakama cooperative in May 2016 as a consultant giving trainings. (She was living in Rwanda at the time, working on a coffee research project.) Ejo Heza leaders were in the training and, during one of the breaks, guided Ruth Ann to visit their community coffee plot.
There, Ruth Ann saw how they were doing controlled experiments! Half the plot was cultivated using traditional techniques, the other half is where the women were testing new weeding and mulching techniques that might save them labor (which = costs).
Seeing this innovation was what “sold” Ruth Ann on trying the coffee. The incredible taste and 86+ score did the rest!
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Kopakama Cooperative: 1024 members, 473 women.
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"Ejo Heza" means bright tomorrow.
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Upon request: Fair Trade FLO, Rainforest, Organic certified
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Variety: Arabica-Bourbon
Grade: A1, screen 15+
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Region: Western Province, Rutsiro district, Mushubati sector
Elevation: 6,000 ft/1,600-1,800m
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Estimated to arrive in November to Continental, NJ and Oakland, CA
Ejo Heza At a Glance
Ejo Heza Gender Equity
The Ejo Heza women lead their sub-cooperative, farm a community plot of trees, and now one of them has been elected president of the larger Kopakama board.
Ejo Heza Origin Notes & Map
Rwanda's Western Province, Rutsiro District, overlooking Lake Kivu, Mushubati cell.
Ejo Heza Cupping Notes: Fully-Washed
Ejo Heza Lean at Origin
Leaders of Ejo Heza were trained by Artisan in Lean at Origin principles, along with the men.
Special Processes
Special processes bring new opportunities for both producers and roasters to thrive! Roasters can distinguish their brand as truly special and producers can display their skill in managing complex processes. Listed above, you'll find details on KUNGAHARA natural and carbonic and RAMBAGIRAKAWA natural.