Rwanda Maraba Bourbon (Fairtrade) Estate Coffee
Certified Fairtrade.
This clean, fruity and deeply smooth coffee comes from an amazing group of smallholder farmers in the beautiful Maraba district of southwest Rwanda and is the country's first-ever sold as a single origin.
Union Coffee have been working alongside the Abahuzamugambi Ba Kawa co-operative for more than five years now and have made many personal visits to help them develop the quality of their coffee and improve quality of life in their community. Union Coffees' efforts have seen a remarkable transformation in the local environment - yet none of it would be possible without the total quality produced by the farmers themselves. The cup has notes of bright citrus and sweet oranges, overlaying delicious creamy milk chocolate tones.
The Coffee Farm
Although Rwanda has grown coffee commercially for many years, it has never before produced beans of gourmet quality. The Abahuzamugambi Bakawa Co-operative's produce is exemplary and is harvested from a rare coffee tree variety, the Arabica Bourbon, which is seldom commercially grown today. The trees produce a lower yield crop compared to many of the modern varieties, but the taste is wonderfully smooth with a sweet fruity nature and rich full body.
We have worked closely with the United States Agency for International Development to develop a sustainable commercial partnership with the Co-operative to bring its people’s coffee to an international market under Fairtrade certification.
The coffee was first launched in February 2003 as part of the Red Nose Day campaign. Since then, Rwanda Maraba Bourbon has helped to fundamentally change the local district with a medical centre, school, bank and even hairdresser’s creating a real sense of community where once there was only despair.
We continue to offer long-term support to the Co-operative at Maraba so that a sustained income can be generated by the farmers. We have in place a minimum purchasing commitment to provide Co-operative members with the security they need to invest in their land and locality.
We also provide forward financing, which means the Co-operative is paid upfront for the next harvest - allowing essential supplies which directly affect coffee quality to be purchased. And at a lower, but no less important, level, we have made many visits to meet smallholders and undertake needs assessments. From these, we have put in place many initiatives to improve working conditions such as protective gloves to protect the hands of the women who work on the drying tables.