• province southern
• district nyamagabe
• owner epiphanie mukashyaka
• process natural & sun dried on raised beds
• altitude 1.750 - 2.100 masl
• variety red bourbon
• suggested for filter
• tasting notes tropical fruits, citrus, peach, almond

The unique quality of our Rwanda beans are thanks to the efforts of Epiphanie Mukashyaka, an inspiring Rwandan businesswoman who’s made great contributions to the quality and accessibility of exceptional Rwandan coffee beans. Widowed during the 1994 genocide, which resulted in 800,000 deaths in just 3 months, Ephiphanie decided to stay and rebuild her family’s small coffee farm and with it, her local community. With the help of the USAID-financed PEARL project and a loan from the Rwandan Development Bank, she set up her first coffee washing station.

Noticing that farmers can earn greater profits from specialty coffee, Epiphanie set out to transform the historical approach to coffee production in Rwanda, from a focus on quantity to a focus on quality. Her coffee washing stations (she now has four washing stations set up in Rwanda’s Southern Province) purchase only the highest quality beans from local farmers with traceable lots. The beans are rigorously assessed and sorted for quality, before naturally processed at the stations.

The level of attention to detail for selecting the highest quality, ripe cherries by Epiphanie’s staff makes the beans from these stations particularly unique. Her company, called Buf Cafè, deriving from “Bufundu”, the former name of the region where the washing stations are located, has made a net positive social impact on the local community, providing seasonal and permanent employment opportunities. Her high standards for quality and process have also set a high standard for Rwandan coffee production providing for sustainable and responsible growth of the industry.