Feature Filter: Vunga (Washed) | Rwanda

About Vunga Co-operative and Muraho Trading Co:

Vunga is a well-established female-led co-operative based in the Nyabihu region of Rwanda. Nyabihu has some of the highest altitudes in Rwanda and a particular microclimate with exceptional coffee potential. It is unfortunately also prone to extremely heavy rainfall and landslides are an ever-present danger which has impacted Vunga on multiple occasions.  The Vunga Cooperative’s resilience is as impressive as their coffee!  Headed up by Daphrose Umiwana (president) and Celeste (agronomy & operations), Vunga processes coffee from its current 180 members as well as further local growers. The cooperative partners with Muraho who export their coffee while also providing vital support infrastructure upgrades and more.

This lot is Vunga’s signature washed process with an elegant and extremely delicious fruit forward cup. 

More info to be added

About Raw Material - our importing partner:

Raw Material are a community interest company green coffee importer operating in the UK, EU and Australia. The work of Raw Material is centred around the vision of “speciality coffee as a solution”. A solution to sustainably improve the livelihoods of the many small-holder producers who have been historically marginalised and not receiving adequate value for their produce and contribution in the supply stream.

As RM explain:

Often the price farmers receive is lower than their cost of production. This situation leads to cycles of debt and disadvantage that compounds over generations.

The choices of the specialty coffee industry have an outsized ability to influence positive outcomes for producers and the wider environment. The value of the specialty coffee market continues to accelerate with a projected compound annual growth rate of 11-12% across the next 5 years. Total market value was estimated to be 35 billion USD in 2018 and is expected to grow to over 80 billion USD by 2025.

This is an exciting opportunity for development through trade. This is one of the few crises in the world for which the solution is direct and self-sustaining: with the appropriate investments and continued effort, the growing demand for high-quality coffee can be fulfilled by historically marginalised groups to great long-term effect.

To change the world, we need a powerful strategy. This requires that we make tough choices not just about what we will do but also what we will not do. We don’t search for the best coffee. We search for the right communities and work with them to build systems to produce high-quality coffee and connect to a stable marketplace. When the solution is well designed and community-led, results can be achieved very quickly.

Raw Material currently focus on working with producers in Colombia, Mexico, Rwanda & Timor Leste and they are our supply partner for Mexico and now also Rwanda.

You can find out more about their vision, impact and methods here.