Rinaldo's Coffee: Rwanda, Twongerekawa Coko: WOMEN'S PRODUCERS, Washed

In the Northern District of Rwanda, The Twongerekawa Coko Cooperative is located In the highest parts of the Gakenke District and represents 138 small-holder members in the region.

In 2009, 15 coffee farmers in Coko agreed to work together to improve quality, and the Twongerekawa Coko Cooperative was formed. The co-operative in run by the small, mainly female Twongerekawa Coko cooperative society. Coffee from Coko is from an unusually high altitude (2000+ masl), which helps produce slowly ripened, juicy beans that have both a typically Rwandan black tea-like finish and sweet taste notes of ripe citrus. A co-operative with a history of investing in women, development and ways to mitigate poverty, its members have not only seen the quality of their coffee improve, but their local communities as well.

Rwanda is blessed with ideal coffee growing conditions that include high altitude, regular rainfall, volcanic soils with good organic structure and an abundance of the Bourbon varietal. The vast majority of Rwandan coffee is produced by smallholders of which there are thought to be around half a million, with parcels of land often not much larger than just one hectare per family, with an average of approximately 180 trees each.