Rwanda Sholi Natural

From one of our most cherished relationships in Rwanda, we’re extremely proud and thrilled to present this Fair Trade specialty coffee. The Abateraninkunga ba Sholi cooperative (meaning ‘mutual assistance’) was originally established in 2008 by 30 women and received official recognition in 2013. In 2014, they received funding to build their own washing station, and in 2015 received their Fair Trade certification. Today the cooperative is made up of 400 farms, 3 washing stations, and 619 members, 241 of which are women.

With the nearest larger health facility being over 18 km away on poor roads, the cooperative received a grant in 2016 to build a community center and a health center to serve its members and other local residents for their basic healthcare needs. The community center also provides education on nutrition, cooking, and gardening in order to combat childhood malnutrition.

For their natural processed coffees, Sholi selects and identifies the highest-quality cherries that arrive at the central washing station. The cherries are sorted again, floated, and moved to the drying tables. After three or four days, they cover the dried cherries for 24-30 hours to develop the flavor. The cherries are monitored and continue to dry for up to 30-35 days depending on the weather. This coffee has raisin cereal flavors, topped with the airy citrus of lemongrass tea and delightfully tart berry notes.

What is Single Origin Coffee? Unlike coffee blends, Single Origin Coffee has a single geographic origin. This could be a single farm or a single country. For the majority of these coffees we will have a direct relationship with the farmer who grows it. Because coffee is a crop, harvesting is seasonal and the timing is specific to each region, our selection of single origin coffees will vary throughout the year.

To make it extra special, we commissioned local artist, Alicia Binkley of Monkey Ink Design to illustrate our Single Origin labels. Enjoy!

To provide you with the freshest product, all coffee is sold as Whole Bean. If you would like your coffee ground please let us know in your order notes.