While Rwanda has grown coffee commercially for many years, it is not until recently that they’ve produced beans of gourmet quality. Rwanda Maraba Bourbon, from the Abahuzamugambi Bakawa Cooperative in the Maraba district, has changed this by recently earning the prestigious Cup of Excellence Award (www.cupofexcellence.com).

This single origin coffee is produced from beans harvested from a rare coffee tree variety, the Arabica Bourbon. The trees produce a lower yield than many modern varieties and are seldom grown today, but the taste is wonderfully smooth with a sweet fruity nature and rich full body. The beans are handpicked, washed in mountain spring water and fully sun-dried.

Maraba Bourbon represents Rwanda’s rapid ascent into one of the most quality conscious countries in East Africa. The Rwanda Cup of Excellence competition mobilised farmers throughout Rwanda to produce exemplary coffees to meet the rigorous standards so that Rwanda was the first country in Africa to conduct this distinguished competition.

Roasters have worked closely with the United States Agency for International Development to develop a sustainable partnership and promote international marketing under Fairtrade certification. Since its launch in 2003, Rwanda Maraba Bourbon has helped fundamentally change the local district with a medical centre, school, bank and even hairdresser where there was once only despair.

Purchasing a bag of Seattle’s Rwandan whole bean coffee benefits these amazing farmers who, while still recovering from the genocide all those years ago, are now producing some of the finest beans in the world. We continue to offer long-term support to the co-operative at Maraba so that the farmers can generate a sustained income.