Dukunde Kawa Musasa Cooperative

The Mbilima washing station belongs to the Dukunde Kawa Musasa cooperative, established in 2005. Dedicated to certified organic coffees. It was created to help local farmers in the village of Akanduga, nicknamed Rubyiniro. 

The station stands at 2020 meters above sea level, making it one of the highest in Rwanda, and works with 900 farmers over an area of 70 hectares. Mbilima employs 120 seasonal workers, 95% of whom are women. 

Most coffee growers carry their harvest on their heads, with only a few using bicycles. Farmers bring their harvest to site collectors in neighboring villages, who then transport the coffee by motorcycle within 8 hours of harvesting.

Annual coffee production varies between 450 and 650 tonnes, allowing 4 to 5 containers of exportable green coffee to be processed each year.

At Mbilima, the coffee is sorted by gravity and then mechanically pulped, before being dried on one of the station's 120 drying beds. Coffee can be processed washed, natural, honey and anaerobic. Depending on the type of process and weather conditions, drying times vary from 25 to 60 days.

Founded in 2003, the Dukunde Kawa cooperative today brings together almost 2,000 farmers, 80% of whom are women. The cooperative has been Fairtrade certified since 2005. Thanks to Fairtrade premium prices, the cooperative has been able to finance the purchase of cows for members of its community, thus helping to diversify its income, provide health insurance and training in agronomy, with the aim of becoming ever more sustainable and improving coffee quality.

The cooperative's projects include improving the washing stations and setting up a milk collection center to produce dairy products for sale on the local market.

Thanks to the quality of its coffee and ongoing efforts to improve growing and processing practices, Rwanda's Northern Province has built a solid reputation in the international speciality coffee market. 

The province is characterised by its mountainous landscape and fertile soils, with altitudes ranging from 1,700 to 2,500 metres above sea level. The climate is cool and humid, with rainfall well distributed throughout the year, favouring the slow growth of cherries and the development of complex flavours. The soils of the region are mainly volcanic, rich in minerals and organic matter. Coffee from the Northern Province is known for its lively acidity and cups generally have notes of citrus, red fruit and delicate floral nuances. 

The predominant coffee variety in this region is red Bourbon, although there are a few plantations of Bourbon Mayaguez 139.  

In the Northern Province, many small producers have formed cooperatives. These structures play a crucial role in improving farming practices, post-harvest processing and coffee marketing. Many of these cooperatives participate in Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance certification schemes, which help to improve producers' incomes and promote sustainable farming practices.