RWANDA - Bikunda Island

BLACKBERRY, GRAPE JUICE, VIOLET
Complexe & Sweet 

ROAST DEGREE: Light 
BREW TYPE: Filter & Espresso
ORIGIN: Rwanda, Western province, Nyamasheke district, Lake Kivu
PROCESS: Natural
VARIETY:  Red bourbon
ALTITUDE:  1500-1860 Masl
Coffee company: Baho coffee 
IMPORTER: Semilla coffee 
7 FARMERS: Viateur Basabose, Valerie Nyiranzeyimana, Jmv Usekanabagoyi , nnocent Uwihoreye, Celestin Manirarora,Sylveran Ugirabantu and Emmanuel Cyiza 

This Bikunda island lot is produced by 7 farmers, wth a combined farm size of only 12.3 hectares. The Ngoma washing station, purchased by Baho Coffee Company in 2019 has a total of 780 farmers who deliver cherry each year. With those 780 farmers, only 575 bags of exportable green coffee is produced. To have a coffee traced back to just 7 farmers in an area of Rwanda such as this is not common and a testament to the hard work of Emmanuel, owner of Baho coffee. To travel from the hills where the farmers are located to the washing station is a difficult journey. Because of this, Baho not only pays farmgate pricing way over the national price but also covers the transportation fees associated with delivering cherries to Ngoma washing station. 

There is an ongoing appellation project in Rwanda, where they seek to identify Lake Kivu coffees and mark them in a similar way to what has happened with coffees in many regions of Colombia. Ngoma will be front and center in this appellation project for Baho, especially given that coffees from this station have placed well in the Cup of Excellence in years past.