Regional Profile: Nyamasheke
Each blend of coffee we craft is inextricably connected to the land and people who produced it, and each region we work in has its own incredible community, flavors, and story. Read along as we profile our regions so you can connect to each location and community with purpose.
Farmers: 1000+ in Ntango Cell, Nyabitekeri Sector, Nyamasheke District
Variety: Jackson 2/1257 & Bourbon Mayaguez 139
Process: Washed & Sun Dried on Raised Beds
Elevation: 1500 Meters
Cup: Clementine, Black Tea, Raspberry, Vanilla
Getting to Ntango Washing Station in Nyamasheke District is an adventure in itself. Leaving Kigali, the journey requires a 5 hour drive into the west of the country, eventually following the contours of the eastern edge of Lake Kivu as the road twists and turns, offering beautiful vistas of the immense water and into the Congo beyond. Finally a 24-foot wooden boat takes travelers the last leg, and after nearly an hour on the water the most western shores of Rwandan Kivu approach, with Ntango Washing Station sitting a mere 50 meters from the water. It always feels like a homecoming stepping off the boat and directly into the bustle of the station during harvest, with its smiling and hospitable staff. At the station our staff and seasonal site collectors receive harvest from more than 1,000 small-holding farmers in the surrounding hills. The average farmer tends about 500 trees, with an average yield of 1.2-1.9 kgs of cherries per tree, per harvest. In this area trees tend to be rather old, and due to inconsistent access to market in the past, the trees haven’t been consistently cared for well. Since Kula purchased the washing station in 2019 we have been working to provide coffee tree seedlings to replace old trees and expand farms, shade trees to support healthy growth, and agronomy support to emphasize best farming practices each month of the year.
Upon receiving coffee cherries, the Ntango staff and site collectors float them in water to sort qualities by density, and pay farmers directly in cash or via mobile payment. All cherries from that day’s harvest are then combined and passed through the 3 disc de-pulping machine before initial water grading and dry fermentation, for 8-12 hours. After dry fermentation the parchment coffee is graded again and sent into tanks of A and B qualities before going onto wire mesh tables where up to 30 hand sorters remove underripes, overripes, insect-damaged and chipped or broken beans, taking a few hours. From sorting tables the parchment is spread out on raised drying beds, to be turned and dried by the sun over the next 14 days, and removed at an average moisture content of 12.5%. Dried parchment is then stored on wooden pallets in the washing station’s store house until it is brought to one of the few dry mills in Rwanda for de-parching, color sorting and export preparation.
