Rwanda - Sholi

Rwandan coffee is one of the greatest demonstrations of how specialty coffee can work, with intentional, progressive year-on-year improvements in quality leading to higher values and financial returns for rural economies and networks of primarily female producers working together in self-organised co-operative structures. If sustainability combines economic, social, and environmental factors — and the ability to develop production in harmony with all three — it is difficult to imagine a better example.

Whilst coffee began in Rwanda as an entirely volume-based business under Belgian colonial rule, with forced labour and other exploitative conditions, the industry collapsed during the economic pressures of the 1980s, which were also a catalyst for the 1994 Genocide. As part of the reconciliation and rebuilding that followed, coffee — already understood by much of the rural population — was chosen as a vehicle to rebuild smallholder economic activity, create jobs and export income, and foster meaningful communal working relationships through mill structures supporting both society and financial stability.

With international support and a long-term focus on embracing quality rather than quantity, Rwanda developed a coffee industry now regarded as one of the world’s most positive examples of specialty coffee’s potential.

Unlike many East African countries, Rwanda has no large estates. Most coffee is grown by approximately 400,000 smallholder farmers and their families, many farming less than a quarter hectare each. This small-scale structure means lots are typically consolidated through mills or co-operatives, where community and shared infrastructure become essential.

This lot comes from members of the Kundwa Women Coffee group, a female-only producer association operating within the Abateraninkunga Ba Sholi co-operative.

Located in central Rwanda, Sholi was established in 2008 by 30 women seeking to invigorate the local economy through coffee. Initially, coffee played only a small role due to the lack of local processing infrastructure, but as membership expanded the co-operative invested in its own washing station, opening in 2014.

“Abateraninkunga” translates from Kinyarwanda as “mutual assistance,” reflecting the values underpinning the co-operative’s growth. Today, over 600 producers contribute coffee grown between 1,800 and 2,000masl. Alongside Fair Trade certification and Cup of Excellence recognition, the co-operative has invested heavily in local infrastructure including healthcare, water access, and community spaces available to both members and non-members alike.

Whilst initially introduced to Rwanda by German and Belgian colonists in the early 1900s, Bourbon’s prevalence today is largely due to its suitability for Rwanda’s altitude, rainfall, and volcanic soils, alongside the country’s intentional shift toward quality-focused production systems after the 1994 Genocide. Recognising that Rwanda’s geography would never allow it to compete as a volume producer, many rebuilding initiatives instead focused on producing exceptional quality coffees capable of generating greater long-term value. Today, Red Bourbon accounts for roughly 95% of Rwanda’s coffee production.

This is a fully washed lot, a process traditionally reserved for the highest quality selections from each producer group. Farmers deliver hand-picked cherries to the co-operatively owned washing station, where they are sorted both manually and by floatation to remove underdeveloped cherries before being de-pulped and wet fermented for 15–18 hours, typically overnight.

Following fermentation, the coffee is washed clean and graded by density through long washing channels. Denser, higher-quality beans are separated for premium lots such as this before being moved to shaded pre-drying tables and finally raised beds, where they dry slowly over 14–21 days depending on weather conditions.

This careful process highlights the acidity, clarity, and sweetness typical of Bourbon, whilst preserving the structure and elegance that define classic washed Rwandan coffees. The result is a cup that feels vibrant and articulate without losing warmth or depth.

We’re especially excited to offer this coffee alongside a natural processed lot from the same producer group, allowing a rare opportunity to explore how processing alone can dramatically reshape flavour and texture from the same terroir and variety.

I had the great honour of attending AFCA in Kigali in 2019, running barista workshops with champions from across Africa whilst spending time with Maxime and the team from Covoya, who sourced this coffee and have worked with Sholi for many years.

During that trip I visited several mills, including Sholi itself, and witnessed first-hand the extraordinary optimism, professionalism, and ambition driving Rwanda’s coffee sector forward. Coffee here feels deeply connected to community, not simply as an export product, but as a mechanism for rebuilding livelihoods, relationships, and long-term possibility.

Exporters are often simplistically described as “middle-men,” but in reality they provide the financing, logistics, quality support, and long-term relationships that allow coffees like these to travel across the world. Watching the Covoya team reinforce their relationships at their annual 'Producers Awards' at the event was one of the most moving experiences of my time in coffee. Following some welcoming demonstrations of traditional dances, producers from all across Covoyas multi-generation Africa projects mingled, shared stories, and were celebrated by each other. Whilst I'm often cynical about market forces and the dynamics between 'business' and 'sustainability' the power and value of meaningful work, pride, dignity and hope were displayed with true honesty and passion.