Espresso: Rwanda Rushashi Hingakawa Women lot Honey Anaerobic

14 EUR

ThisSideUp provides us once again with the Rushashi. This might be our anniversary regarding Rwanda Rushashi through Abakundakawa, we have had coffee from them for many years now and are never disappointed. This specific lot is produced by Hingakawa, a co-op built on 960 woman produces. This coffee reminds us of maple syrup aroma, with stonefruit notes and a creamy mouthfeel. Rushashi Coffee Washing Station (CWS) is the largest of two washing stations owned by the Abakundakawa coffee producer cooperative, one of This Side Up’s first partners. It is located in the lush and green Gakenke district, characterised by high spiky hills at high altitudes - making it ideal for high-quality coffee production. It is no coincidence that this region produces some of Rwanda’s most sought after coffees. Abakundakawa has come a long way since it started as a smallholder farmer association in 1999. It became a recognized cooperative in 2007. Since then, in a relatively short time, Abakundakawa managed to become an advanced operation with over 2000 member farmers, which serves as a prime example of how coffee growers can turn the specialty market into a seller’s market. We were truly amazed by the standards this coop conforms to: it has the facilities to roast and cup samples on-site, employs a full range of organic processing methods (and is on its way to becoming certified organic), provides full transparency in its bookkeeping, and in recent years has received technical and leadership training from the Rwandan government and development agencies - especially from SNV, This Side Up's trusted development partner in Rwanda. In terms of processing, it employs a particularly long fermentation process that has been adopted by several nearby cooperative societies and has likely contributed to the bronze medal they earned at the 2010 Rwanda Cup of Excellence competition. Hingakawa In 1995, following the horrors of the Rwandan Genocide, two distinct groups of women were left to rebuild their lives and support their families. On one side were women whose husbands had been killed during the conflict; on the other were women whose husbands had committed the atrocities. Though divided by the events of the past, both groups faced a shared challenge: survival. Without reconciliation, there could be no hope for communal development. With the responsibility now on their shoulders, the need arose for collaboration and mutual support .Many of these women had coffee farms that their husbands had previously managed but they needed finance and infrastructure to produce good quality coffee. From this necessity, the Hingakawa Cooperative was born to unite these women, offering them a platform to collaborate, rebuild their lives, and create a sustainable future together. Hingakawa played both an economic and social role in their lives. Economically, it regulated income, provided training on financial literacy, encouraged savings and pension programs, and supported improved farm management practices. Socially, Hingakawa created a safe space for these women to share their experiences, seek forgiveness, and forge peace within their community. In 2004, Hingakawa became a sub-cooperative of Abakundakawa Cooperative, which broadened opportunities for its members by introducing initiatives such as income generation through specialty coffee production and processing, training in regenerative agriculture, and support for establishing new coffee plots to boost production. Today, Hingakawa boasts 960 active women who produce around two containers of specialty coffee annually. Through their efforts in coffee trade, these women have rebuilt their livelihoods and fostered unity, proving that reconciliation and shared purpose can transform communities. Only the finest cherries are selected and pulped without using water. The pulped coffee is then fermented in a covered tank for 48 to 72 hours, depending on weather and temperature conditions. Following fermentation, the cherries are pulped and dried immediately.

Origin

Rwanda Gakenke

Process

honey

Roast

medium

Varietal

Bourbon