What to Expect from the Next Rwandan Crop?

A Quick Walk-through ‘Quality, Quantity, a ‘Newbie’ & Price’

Quality

Thanks to ideal weather conditions, the quality of the beans is very good.
There was an appropriate amount of rainfall during October-December & March-May. All cherries are handpicked to ensure only the best beans are processed.

Quantity

There is a larger harvest than the previous year. This is due mainly to the cyclical nature of Rwanda’s harvest cycle. The previous harvests were smaller, and this year, the trees produced 20% much more cherry. The reason for the cycle is that once a tree has produced a lot of cherry one year, it’s a bit exhausted the following year and produces a smaller crop.

RAB C15, A New Variety to Offset an Elderly Coffee Rootstock

The Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) and the National Agriculture Exports Development Board (NAEB) recently started to campaign to replace aging coffee trees. Farmers can now purchase a new coffee variety ‘RAB C15 variety of Coffea Arabica‘, which begins yielding two years after planting, as compared to the current kinds, which begin harvesting three years after planting. This development is expected to strengthen Rwanda’s coffee sector.
‘The RAB C15 variety of Coffea Arabica was released eight years after various experiments on its resilience against major coffee diseases such as coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease, as well as adaptability to major agro-ecological conditions in Rwanda’, according to Dr. Simon Martin Mvuyekure (Ph.D.), Ag. Senior Research Fellow and Traditional Export Crops Programme Coordinator at RAB. ‘This new variety has an overall score of more than 85% (specialty coffee), making it the best coffee in the country.’
According to the NAEB, 30% of the country’s 100 million coffee trees – or roughly 30 million trees – are elderly and in need of replacement.

Price

The National Agricultural Export Development Board of Rwanda (NAEB) also sets the price for coffee cherries. The price has increased by 17% compared to last year
But also in Rwanda (just like in Europe), they have to contend with significant inflation:
– the price of fertilizers increased by 100%
– the price of fuel (for vehicles and machines) increased by 60%,
– logistic costs increased by 40%,
– harvesting activities cost now 30% more than the previous harvest.

From Rwanda with Love

Simbi Washing Station

The Simbi Washing Station is located in the Huye district of Rwanda’s southern province and services 1,475 smallholder coffee farmers who all grow high quality Red Bourbon. Simbi is a privately owned washing station operated by Abdul Rudahunga, who was inspired to get into the coffee business by his grandmother. She was also a coffee farmer and one of the few rural Rwandans that roasted and enjoyed her own coffee as part of her daily routine.
Rwanda is blessed with ideal coffee growing conditions that include high altitude, regular rainfall, volcanic soils with good organic structure and an abundance of Bourbon coffee trees. All coffee beans are hand sorted to ensure only the best coffee is picked.
In Simbi’s first year of operation, a sample was submitted to the Rwandan Cup of Excellence competition and achieved 9th place, an incredible achievement given the very newcomer status!

Focus on Anaerobic Processing

The smallholder farmers selectively handpick cherry and deliver it to Simbi Washing Station. At intake, the red cherries are sorted to remove any unripe or damaged cherries, and placed in well sealed tanks -only the highest quality cherries are used.
The cherries ferment anaerobically (without oxygen) in covered, air-tight containers for 100 hours. Then, the cherries are being moved to drying tables for 20 to 30 days to dry. Parchment is turned frequently to ensure even drying.