The KCRS Cooperative in the Rulindo district of Northern Province in Rwanda is 100% women owned and has 600 member farmers divided into 60 subgroups to manage lots.
This coffee from KCRS is the real life representation of the sacrifice and resolve of the female cooperative members who were daring enough to plant seeds of hope on the very same Rwandan hilltops where many lost their lives in a violent civil war. After Rwanda’s coffee producing farms were for a time left deserted, several organisations began to assist in restarting the production.
Coffees from KCRS cooperative are grown on slopes of high altitude mountains ranging from 1800 to 2500 masl, 85% being above 2000 masl.
The climate, altitude and volcanic soils allow the predominantly Bourbon variety coffee cherries to mature slowly, giving a good sized bean that is rich in flavour and aroma.
Ripe cherries are picked in the early hours of the morning. They are then immediately delivered to the washing station where they are again hand sorted. The best quality cherries are pulped, fermented, graded and washed, all under expert supervision. After washing, the beans are spread on raised, ventilated drying tables. They are protected both from rain and excessive sunlight throughout the drying process, allowing the coffee to develop its full taste characteristics slowly and naturally. When dry, the coffee parchment is carefully bagged in well-ventilated stores before being transported to Kigali for milling and grading