Rwanda

Mbilima

Lot 2704 A1

Washed process Red Bourbon

Flavour: pear, raisin, candied orange and milk chocolate

This coffee comes from Mbilima washing station, in the town of Musasa in Rwanda’s north-west. At an altitude of around 2,020 metres above sea level, it’s one of Rwanda’s highest washing stations, and has had lots recognised in the Rwandan Cup of Excellence awards in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

By Rwandan standards, the Mbilima washing station is quite small, representing only 270 local producers in the area. They’re small-scale producers who typically own less than a quarter of a hectare of land each. They use this land to cultivate an average of 250–300 coffee trees, along with other subsistence food crops such as maize and beans. By selling their coffee to the cooperative, these member farmers are able to process their cherries centrally and combine their harvests into quantities large enough for export.

Mbiilma is owned by the Dukunde Kawa cooperative, which also owns two other stations: Nkara and their original station from 2003, named Ruli. The cooperative now has nearly 2,000 contributing members. Dukunde Kawa provides its members with agronomy training, access to fertilisers and organic pesticides, and a host of other resources to support farmers.

They pay a fixed rate at the start of the harvest for coffee delivered to the station, and then reward all farmers with a second payment later in the season, sharing additional profits with all farmers.

The cooperative also offers assistance with school fees and medical insurance are provided, and they have set up a “Farmers Savings Account” which provides a line of credit for farmers needing access to funds for things like health care, unexpected expenses at home, farming materials. They have also built a milk refrigeration facility at nearby Ruli washing station to help generate off-season income for farmers and their families.

About the cooperative

‘Dukunde Kawa’ means ‘love coffee’ in Kinyarwanda (Rwanda’s official language), in reference to the power of coffee to improve the lives of those in rural communities.

In order to become a member of Dukunde Kawa, a coffee farmer must own at least 200 trees, and can apply by submitting a letter of interest, which is presented at the cooperative’s general assembly. The cooperative’s agronomist then visits the applicant’s farm, and the local cooperative members vote on the new membership. Once approved, the applicant pays a joining fee (which is 20,000 RWF (approx $23USD)) to be a member of Dukunde Kawa, that, in turn, goes back into the cooperative.

Before the proliferation of cooperatives and washing stations in Rwanda, small farmers sold semi-processed cherries on to a middleman, and the market was dominated by a single exporter. This commodity-focused system—coupled with declining world prices in the 1990s—brought severe hardship to farmers, some of whom abandoned coffee entirely.

Today, it’s a different picture. Farmers who work with Dukunde Kawa have seen their income at least double, and the cooperative produces outstanding lots of coffee for us year after year.

Recently, for example, the cooperative has invested in three new mechanical cherry sorters (which divide the ripe from underripe cherries prior to pulping the coffee)—one for each of its washing stations. These machines are expensive and difficult to get to the rural washing station so it’s a significant and commendable investment made by the cooperative. This kind of decision is a great example of how the Dukunde Kawa cooperative thinks about and appreciates the kind of long-term investment that is essential to produce high quality coffee.

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Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

• Dose: 20g ground coffee
• Yield: 60g espresso
• Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

• Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
• Labels: recyclable
• Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
• Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

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Our packaging

Producer

Dukunde Kawa Cooperative

Country

Rwanda

Region

Rushashi District, Ruli Sector

Altitude

2020m above sea level

Variety

Red Bourbon

Process

washed

Harvested

April 2017

Importer

Melbourne Coffee Merchants

Body

Medium

Acidity

Vibrant

Tasting notes

Pear, raisin, candied orange and milk chocolate

Roast style

Omni (filter + espresso)