Clifton Coffee: Rwanda, Buf Cafe, Washed

Buf Cafe was founded in 2003 by Epiphanie Mukashyaka, a dynamic businesswoman and a source of insipration to countless other female entrepreneurs in Rwandas coffee sector and beyond. Buf is now managed by Epiphianie and her son, Samuel Muhirwa, who is taking an increasingly active role in running and expanding the business. The title ‘BUF’ derives from ‘Bufundi’, the former name of the region in which its washing stations are located. The majority of the small farmers in the area have an average of only 300 coffee trees and use some of their land to cultivate other crops such as maize and beans to feed themselves and their families. The level of care that all BUF washing stations take over ther processings is impressinve. Cherries are hand-picked only when fully ripe and then pulped that same evening using a mechanical pupler that divides the beans into three grades by weight. After pulping, the coffee is fermented overnight and then graded again using flotation channels. The weth parchment is then soaked in water for around 24 hours to stabilise moisture content. The parchment is then moved across to raised beds where it will dry for around 14 days.