Rwanda Marie's Coffee

TRANSPARENCY INFO

Sweet, mouth-filling lime and juicy mandarin with a floral, black tea-like structure.

PRICING EXPLAINED

 *This is the FOB (Free On Board) price: the price paid to the exporter before shipping, and which does not include shipping costs, weight loss (around 17%), storage and other charges. Ultimately, the FOB price represents the $ figure that stays in the coffee's country of origin, benefiting its producer, community, and beyond. 

^This is the 'raw' price paid directly to the producer, and paid in the local currency for parchment coffee. The coffee is then milled and sorted before being placed in bags, ready for shipping.

ABOUT 

Born in 1955 and widowed in the horrific Rwandan genocide, Marie was faced with the responsibility of caring for her five surviving children. Showing incredible courage, she began pouring her energy into coffee production - including this rare Rwandan single origin.

Typically, Rwandan washing stations receive cherries from hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of farmers who own very small plots of land. Separation of such tiny lots is near impossible - and not at all practical. As a result, most lots are delineated by day of picking rather than producer or group - but not this gorgeous single origin!

The fact that Dukunde Kawa Cooperative (of which Marie is a member) now has its own dry mill is another reason we can access this coffee. The mill allows not only the processing of smaller lots but the assurance of quality control at all stages of production. Dukunde Kawa also has a wonderfully transparent relationship with its members, paying a fixed rate for coffee delivered to the station at the start of each harvest, plus a second payment later in the season. It provides agronomy training to producers, has helped to build a best-practice model farm and community classrooms, and offers access to fertilisers and organic pesticides, school fee assistance, and medical insurance. Incredible.

SNAPSHOT 

NOTES: Lime - Black Tea - Mandarin