About this coffee

Gitwe, the washing station producing possibly the most valued specialty coffee lots from Rwanda, is, in fact, one of the smallest stations in the Western Province. Covering an area of less than 1 hectare, Gitwe is situated in a particularly advantageous location, at the top of a mountain valley at the altitude of almost 2000 meters above the sea level. Just 3 km from Gatare and near the town of Kamina in the Karambi sector, Gitwe is the name of the land on which the station is built. Healthy coffee trees and tropical fruit line the trail down to the station from the road above.

Built in 2016, the station employs 6 full-time staff, and at least 50 people are hired during the harvest season, 90% of whom are women. Although Gitwe is a tiny station, 1020 farmers contribute to its annual production of 500 tons of cherry, all of which are of high-quality specialty grade. All these farmers have received specialized training. Farm sizes range from just 150 coffee trees to 6000 trees, occupying 2.5 hectares. While most farms are located within the distance of 2-3 km from the station, many of the farmers are elderly with limited mobility, that is why 15 cherry collection points are set up around the station. The station manager, Augustin, is originally from Kigali, but after a period of ill health, he left the city in favour of the mountain air and rural environment. He moved to manage and live near the washing station in 2018 and has not been sick since.

The recent harvests at Gitwe have proven to be truly special, thanks in part to the experimentation with processing and production of honey-processed lots in the past several years.