Ruanda Kopakama

Fair Trade Organic Coffee from Rwanda: Kopakama Coffee Cooperative

The Kopakama Coffee Cooperative was founded in 2005 and specializes in producing organically certified coffee from Rwanda. The values-driven cooperative currently has around 800 members, more than 30% of whom are women. Since its founding, Kopakama has invested not only in machinery to process its organic green coffee, but has also made a significant contribution to developing regional infrastructure. Members share coffee processing facilities, especially during harvest season. This reduces costs, benefiting not only coffee farmers: the funds also support their families and are reinvested in other social projects.

Cultivation, Coffee Harvest, and Processing

The Kopakama cooperative farms land in Rutsiro District, which stretches across the western part of Rwanda. The hilly plateaus sit at elevations above 1,600 meters and create an ideal climate not only for coffee, but also for many other plants. Here, coffee plants grow in the natural shade of other vegetation, allowing the coffee cherries to ripen without excessive exposure to sunlight. This rich variety of plants not only enhances coffee quality, but also provides valuable habitat for animals.

The coffee cherries are hand-picked, with only ripe fruit selected. The distinctive climate of Rutsiro District even allows for two harvests per year: the main harvest takes place from March to May, followed by a second harvest season from February to September. After harvesting, the beans are promptly removed from the cherries and then fermented in large tanks for around 24 hours to remove any remaining pulp. After this stage, the coffee is dried. Finally, the organic coffee beans are sorted by size. Defective beans are removed, and the coffee is graded before being prepared for export worldwide.

Rwanda Coffee Profile:

• Country: Rwanda
• Region: Western Province, Rutsiro
• Growing altitude: 1,600–1,800 m
• Growing method: Organically certified
• Harvest season: 1st: March–May, 2nd: February–September
• Harvesting method: Selective hand-picking
• Processing: Washed
• Variety: Bourbon
• Trade: Fair Trade
• Bean size: A1, A2