Rwanda Rushashi — This Side Up
 

Our Rwandan cornerstone

It’s safe to say that Rushashi has been a cornerstone of the success of This Side Up for the first years of our existence. Our fates have been intertwined ever since we started transparently promoting Rushashi in 2013 and other producers (in Rwanda, but soon also the rest of the world) started demanding similar prices. Back then, Abakundakawa had not been around for so long. Before 2012, most farmers in the area traditionally processed coffee at home, but since Antoine took his stance as a manager, many things have changed. After implementing quality and processing techniques, inspiring particularly young men and women to process and grow coffee differently, Rushashi developed water and energy-saving triple fermentation methods, advanced pulp recycling methods, and two women's empowerment organisations. In 2015, the Ishema Youth Coffee Group was born, of which we are proud supporters. Today, Rushashi invests in financial independence from rural banks through carefully developing and managing their credit and savings systems. From 2017 onwards, we have invested in a nursery for shade trees and other plants that organically strengthen the coffee. Today we're running agroforestry trials on a lot pclose to the Rushashi washing station, and the first results are starting to manifest.

Abakundakawa Rushashi started as an association in 1999 with 103 members. Today it’s a solid, well-organised cooperative with 2100+ farmers, of which 900+ are women and 400+ are youth, throughout 17 villages in Gakenke district. We are proud to have continually supported such a beacon of light on so many fronts, and still after all these years, with our beloved friend Antoine in the driver’s seat.

 
 
 

These groups provided our 2023 import from Rushashi.

Rutabo is one of the 17 villages Rushashi works with, united in their own coffee “group”. Ishema is Abakundakawa’s youth organisation, of which we have been buying all our washed high grade coffees since 2021.

 
 

farmers: 2109
hectares: 400+
trees: 150.000

farmers: 477
hectares: 31
trees: 70.000

(289 women)

 

 

Our Rwandan coops are a good example of farmers taking control of the value chain. Instead of selling their coffee to a mill or exporter, they rent the milling and exporting service and make direct contracts with buyers such as This Side Up. More control, more independence from market prices!

 

Traceability

You can find all the signed contracts and shipping documents that we made with Rushashi since 2021 below (Google Drive).

 
 

2014: first direct sales of Rushashi coffee in Europe through us, creation of savings account for harvest working capital to avoid rural loans.

2015: creation of the country's first cascara trials, subject of a value chain exhibition at the Ethnology Museum in Leiden, the Netherlands.

2016: Rushashi’s trial lot for us was the first ever export of cascara approved in Rwanda, first village lots created and exported: Burimba and Minazi.

2017: new village lot created (Rutabo), first high grade natural lot imported by This Side Up.

2018: after the success of the experimental natural lots, we created two natural village lots: Rutabo and Minazi. Nursery for shade trees and other organic intercrops created with our premium. Rushashi became organic certified this year - a crown on years of hard work to become one of the country’s first fully organic washing stations - in a country still very much defined by its chemical fertilisation and pest control solutions.

2019: starting agroforestry trials on a microlot close to the Rushashi washing station. Decided to import the natural and washed lot of Rutabo village only. The cooperatives’ leadership and field officers begin working in the development of an innovative, integrated, and scalable system for the unique environment of northern Rwanda in the project we jointly developed: Regenerating Farms In Rwanda.

2020: introduction of Ishema Youth Coffee. More than 400 young farmers joined the cooperative and became members. The Regenerative Farms project in Rwanda consolidates. Bought significantly more coffee from Rushashi as the group became part of a government tender.

2021: Our largest order from Abankundakawa yet, 3 containers. Positive reaction to switching all our washed coffee to Ishema, some roasters proudly promote youth empowerment to their customers.

2022: the first results of the Regenerating farms in Rwanda project we collectively developed with our partners from Abakundakawa begin to manifest as trees begin to offer their shade to coffee. Farmers from Rutabo make their best sell ever and become an example to other groups within the cooperative, by openly sharing their knowledge with others.

2023: sadly, for the first time in our cooperation we downscaled our order from Rushashi, as some of our clients overestimated their demand during difficult times. Happily, Abakundakawa’s popularity ensures that they can sell their coffees elsewhere, albeit not for the price that we pay.


Our QC’s Flavour
impressions

Natural lot from Rushashi quite simply became some of the best Rwandan lots we tasted in a while. Classy and familiar, yet fresh - overall feeling of orange blossom, prune and black tea with clean and juicy acidity and smooth mouthfeel make us think, that coffee of this season will find its way to many espresso and filter drinks. The washed lots are classic Rwandans with their orange and raisin notes - a reliable favourite!

Renata Hardewijn, January 2024

Rutabo Natural 2023-2024

RECOMMENDED IKAWA PROFILE

After some tinkering, we finally got the air flow right on the "TSU Washed 1" profile, getting the look of these beans as uniform as possible (Rwandan beans tend to look darker than they taste). This roast makes the washed lots into sweet fruit bombs and allows the tea and floral notes to shine as well. For the natural, we use Sebastiaan Geistdorfer's great and simple natural profile below.


 
 
 

 Antoine Kagenza

Rushashi's manager, Antoine Kagenza is always eager to develop relationships, hear from customers or enter into exciting new partnerships. Give him a buzz or let us introduce you.

Email: abakundakawarushashi@yahoo.fr

Phone: +250 783288732

 
 

Rushashi, Gakenke District - Northern Province, Rwanda

 

PHOTO GALLERY

These pictures were taken by us, by Antoine and by visitors over the course of many years.
You may use them freely to promote Rushashi among your customers.

 

Rushashi’s focus group

In Rutabo, villagers have owned the same piece of land, segmented into individual lots, since colonial times. If seen from a distance, this large plot could very well look like a single one. However, it was not until recently that farmers from this land started organising and working together as a group. After Abakundakawa began its efforts in the region, farmers changed from traditional to quality processing, came together, and began organising. Today, they all harvest on the same days, prune, and tend the land. Added to this, the group has a clear vision and perspective to make coffee sustainable in the long run: they save, invest, and have a credit system, they share this knowledge with farmers from other regions, and they motivate the youth to join coffee, “When you have a good harvest, invest” they say.

Added to this, it was precisely this group who, after noticing how young people were migrating, leaving the elderly behind and, with it, the future of coffee production, came up with the idea of creating a Youth group. This was the birth of Ishema, with whom we also collaborate, and is now a consolidated group of young coffee farmers.

 

CULTIVARS

Arabica Bourbon types: French Mission, Jackson, Mbirizi, Pop 3303/21

ALTITUDE

1,700 - 2,000 meters above sea level.

NOTABLE

In 2012 seven farmers from Rutabo came together and decided to start tending their large, divided land, as a group. Today, they are the strongest farmer group in the cooperative. During off-season, farmers tend another community land, where they harvest potato, maize and banana.

PROCESSING

Fully washed and triple fermented: all coffee is hand picked, depulped, dry fermented for 12 hours, double wet fermented (2 x 18 hours), washed with mountain water, shade dried, then sun dried on raised beds.

Naturals are shade dried, then sun dried and consistently turned to achieve the lowest possible amount of defects.

Cupping notes

Browse through our Tastify Archives on Google Drive.

 
 

keeping coffee alive 

“In Rwanda, 80% of coffee growers are elderly. When they die, what will happen to their coffee?” Antoine Kagenza said. The options young people have in Rwanda are limited. A young man can help their parents with their lands, migrate to the city, or join the army. A young woman can either marry, migrate to the city and become a sewer, hairdresser or even turn to sex services. Unemployment is high, and the risk of joining gangs is also quite elevated. Added to this, about 80% of coffee growers in Rwanda are elderly. When farmers in Rutabo noticed this reality, they came together with a solution: to create a youth coffee group. 

Since 2016 The Ishema Youth Coffee Group has steadily evolved into a strong organisation. It started with 63 members. That figure rose to 477 young farmers, of which 289 are young women. The elderly are also benefiting from this group since the heavy work is left for the young; older farmers choose to give a piece of their land to their young family relatives, increasing the production in their own plots. Added to this, young farmers are learning about finance, administration, and sustainable agricultural practices next to older farmers. They learn together and share knowledge. 

 

CULTIVARS

Arabica Bourbon types: French Mission, Jackson, Mbirizi, Pop 3303/21

ALTITUDE

1,700 - 2,000 meters above sea level.

NOTABLE

Ishema Youth Coffee Group was born as a solution to the generational gap. Since 2016, the group has been steadily growing and attracting young women and man in Rushashi region.

PROCESSING

Fully washed and triple fermented: all coffee is hand picked, depulped, dry fermented for 12 hours, double wet fermented (2 x 18 hours), washed with mountain water, shade dried, then sun dried on raised beds.

Naturals are shade dried, then sun dried and consistently turned to achieve the lowest possible amount of defects.

Cupping notes

Browse through our Tastify Archives on Google Drive.