In May last year, while traveling in Rwanda to visit other producers, we were very fortunate to make a detour to visit Justin Musabyimana at his washing station, Mahembe. Impressed with what we saw, and Justin’s dedication to producing great coffee, we were delighted when the coffee samples we tasted exceeded our hopes and expectations.

Justin returned to the Mahembe sector of Rwanda to take over his father’s coffee farm, and in 2008 decided to build a washing station allowing him to process the cherries himself, rather than selling them to local traders. By 2013, Justin had not only placed 4th in the Cup of Excellence competition, but had begun to purchase cherries from up to 500 neighbouring farmers also, bringing his annual production to 36 tons.

In addition to paying a very competitive 150RWF for each kilogram of cherry, Justin gives out a second payment or dividend to contributing farmers who sort their cherries well (delivering just ripe cherries for processing), and who prune, mulch and fertilise their coffee trees according to a set schedule. Of the 500 contributing farmers, Justin expects there to be 120 who receive a second payment of around 40RWF per kilogram this season.

It’s plain to see that the attention to detail that Justin and his workers at Mahembe put into the running of the washing station, as well as the quality standards they’ve implemented for the selection of the coffee cherries to be processed, are having very positive impacts on the quality results in the cup, as well as contributing in a particularly beneficial and sustainable way to the local economy.

We’re delighted to share this coffee with you, and look forward to a continued relationship with Justin and the team at Mahembe.