It’s International Coffee Day: Time to Try Rwandan Coffee!
US Together’s Global Perspectives trip to Rwanda in 2019.
With a scenic view of Lake Kivu, the Kinunu coffee washing station is where the coffee cherries that have been locally grown get washed and ready for processing. With an excellent climate for growing crops, there are a large variety of fruits growing there.
US Together’s International Program works with organizations from around the world to promote international understanding through intercultural exchange. In 2018, we started partnering with four nonprofits from Rwanda which led to organizing two Global Perspectives trips to East Africa and series of ongoing collaborative initiatives. Our program participant Brenda is a great ambassador for our program – learn what she shared about her experience with us in Rwanda.
In honor of International Coffee day, celebrated in the United States on September 29, we are highlighting the significance of Rwandan coffee and its history.
What Is So Interesting About The Rwandan Coffee?
Coffee plays a significant role in the economy of Rwanda, being the country’s number one export product. With over 20,000 metric tons of coffee supplied to the global market (2019), this African country is the world’s 30th top coffee supplier. Rwandan coffee is known for the quality of its beans, not the quantity. However, this was not always the case.
Coffee was introduced to Rwanda by Germans in the early 1900s, but it was not before the 21st century when coffee transformed into a world class quality product. Coffee production in Rwanda first increased in the 1930s, as the Belgian colonial government exploited Rwandan coffee farmers to produce mostly low-grade, high volume green coffee beans. This model, which was detrimental to the welfare of Rwandan farmers as well as the quality of the coffee itself, persisted even after Rwandan independence. The terrible genocide in 1994 tore the country apart, and the washing and processing infrastructure for Rwandan coffee was decimated, making coffee farming a nearly pointless endeavor.
However, the resilience and persistence of the Rwandan people has been incredible: two decades later, a National Coffee Strategy has led to the recovery and expansion of coffee growing in the country. The strategy is geared towards the production of high-quality coffee beans (specialty coffee). This success has been achieved in part through international partnerships.
Characteristics of Rwandan Coffee
About 95% of Rwanda's coffee plants are the high quality Arabica varietal Bourbon. A fine Rwanda coffee offers a silky, creamy body along with floral notes and hints of lemon and orange blossom. The sweet flavors of a good Rwandan Bourbon coffee are suggestive of caramelized cane sugar along with spice notes of clove, cinnamon and allspice and rose floral aromas. Read the full review.
Coffee Harvest amid a Global Pandemic
Coffee plants flower in September and October and between March and July, the coffee cherries are ready for harvest. This year in March, the Rwanda government locked down major cities, halted commercial flights and banned domestic travel for all nonessential workers. Coffee production, which provides an income to 350,000 Rwandan farming families, has been allowed to continue but in modified fashion.
The effects of COVID-19 on the 2020 harvesting season are still to be analyzed. Some experts predicted a decreased amount of exports due to health restrictions resulting in a delay to the global supply chain. In addition, cafes and restaurants, which traditionally offer coffee drinks and products, have significantly reduced their buying power.