Middle State: Finca Arcangel: Bolivia

Coffee production in Rwanda is a fairly new enterprise. After the Rwandan genocide, many non-profit and non-government organizations identified coffee as a viable crop and set to work building new washing stations and state of the art processing facilities. Coffee farming was difficult: many of these new projects didn’t have guidance on how to produce high-quality specialty coffee, and eventually, these organizations ended up selling their operations to local Rwandan people.

COOPAC is a cooperative that was founded by Emmanuel Rwakagara in 2001, and operates over 50 washing stations along Lake Kivu. The organization has over 8,000 members who grow coffee in small garden farms and deliver their cherry to the nearest washing stations once picked. COOPAC helped establish quality standards that attracted high-end specialty coffee buyers, and helped establish coffee farming as a sustainable enterprise in the area.

The cooperative is also dedicated to environmental standards. Along with being a certified organic operation, COOPAC reuses farm waste as fertilizer and distributes shade trees to organization members to prevent erosion. The group also prizes social sustainability by helping construct a school, health care clinic, and many roads and bridges in the area.

This coffee comes from producers who live in the Kabere village who bring their coffee to the Kabirizi washing station. We love how tart and vibrant this coffees flavor profile is, and we’re excited to offer another great certified organic coffee in our lineup.