Rwanda - Kageyo

Cupping Notes: Dark chocolate, dried blueberries, dates, caramel

Country of Origin: Rwanda

Region: Ngororero District

Producer Type: Small Holder Farmers

Farm Name: Various Producers

Wet Mill: Kageyo CWS

Processing: Washed

Processing Description: Sun-dried on raised beds

Growing Altitude: 1700 MASL

Plant Species: Arabica

Varietal: Bourbon

About This Coffee

Kageyo Coffee Washing Station sits high in Rwanda’s Ngororero district, east of Lake Kivu and the Rutsiro district, at elevations around 2,000 meters—among the highest in the country. Originally a cooperative producing semi-washed coffee, Kageyo secured a loan in 2009 to build its first wet mill and began operations in 2010, quickly earning recognition with a 2nd place finish in Rwanda’s Cup of Excellence that same year and a 1st place win in 2011. Despite early success, low harvests and limited mill capacity led to financial struggles, prompting a partnership with a private exporter in 2013 that provided market access and debt relief while preserving the cooperative structure. In 2015, the washing station was purchased outright, enabling infrastructure upgrades and expanded production without sacrificing quality. Today, Kageyo remains known for its Bourbon variety coffee grown by smallholder farmers at exceptional altitudes, and its transparent supply chain continues to connect these farmers to the specialty market.

History of Coffee in Rwanda 

The commercialization of coffee came about gradually in Rwanda and coffee was always produced on smallholder farms. Independence brought some improvement to the coffee infrastructure as the government established more modern and centralizing processing. But this meant the government set the price they would pay for coffee and farmers had no other options. There was no focus on quality because there was no incentive whatsoever. Despite much of the coffee being Bourbon, there was no sorting or grading so all the coffee was commercial grade. Rwanda exported 642,000 bags of coffee in 1993 and 447,000 in 1994. Then, as something of a stark reminder of the genocide, Rwanda exported a mere 22,000 bags in 1995. Today, Rwanda exports only 43% of what it did in 1993, but current exports represent much greater value because for the last 20 years the focus has been on quality rather than quantity, supported by various initiatives of the Rwandan government and international NGOs.

Growing Coffee in Rwanda

Rwanda’s ideal growing conditions are no longer wasted on poor processing. New washing stations have opened in all coffee growing regions, innovative cupping labs that arrive built into shipping containers, and cooperatives have been established. The vast majority of Rwanda's smallholder farmers grow high-quality Bourbon, well-suited to the high altitudes and volcanic soil of the region. For the last 10 years, Rwandan specialty coffees consistently rank among the finest in the world. 

Canadian Customers

Pre-Umber is happy to offer our Canadian customers free shipping on all orders over $100.00 (Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon there is a flat rate fee)  Orders qualifying for free shipping will be sent via Canada Post Expedited Parcel service, UPS or Purolator depending on your address.  If you do not want to use the free shipping option you will have the option to choose which method you would like us to ship and you simply pay what we have to pay for shipping.

If your cart just doesn't seem to total up to $100.00, don't worry.  Pre-Umber offers real-time carrier shipping through Canada Post as well as other courier services.  To access these other couriers you can not use a PO Box but must use a physical address.  You will see the real-time pricing and can choose the method of shipping that you would like. 

Pre-Umber wants you to enjoy your coffee or merchandise as soon as we can get it to you, so we always strive to send your order out within 24 hours of having received it.

To see the Canada Post delivery standards please follow this link and use our Postal code T4J 1R1. Delivery Standards

United States of America Customers

Unfortunately because of the tariff situation and the uncertainty surrounding it we are not currently shipping orders to the USA.  Hopefully things will improve in the future and we will be able to begin serving our USA customers once again.