Rwanda Sholi

DESCRIPTION: orange creamsicle, plum, black tea

WHY WE LOVE IT: This relationship coffee is a wonderful example of the excellence of Rwandan terroir. Fruity, sweet, and with a black tea finish, it invites you to explore its depth with each sip. 

REGION: Muhanga District, Southern Province

PROCESSING METHOD: Washed

ALTITUDE:  1,800 - 2,000 m 

VARIETY: Bourbon

The arrival of the latest harvest from our partners at the Sholi cooperative is one of our favorite annual traditions. This year in particular, the washed lot from the group is a stellar example of the terroir of the region and the excellent quality it can produce. In the cup, orange citrus combines with cream and vanilla, reminding us of orange creamsicle. This interplays with the juicy fruitiness of a plum, and is underpinned with the complex bitters of a great black tea. We love this coffee, and its great quality is only made better by the wonderful cooperative that produced it. 

MORE ABOUT SHOLI:

In the past few years, perhaps no other coffee has become as anticipated or as special to us as our annual release from Rwanda Sholi. During our trip to Rwanda in 2019, we cupped their coffees and toured one of the processing stations, a farm, warehouse, and the health and community centers and formed lasting relationships along the way.

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 continues to grow, now constituting 619 members, 241 of which are women. 

In 2016 the cooperative received a grant to build a community center and a health center to serve its members and other local residents. The nearest hospital is over 45 minutes away on poor roads, so services for things such as malaria, parasites, pregnancy check-ups, and basic first aid that the health center can provide are invaluable. The community center also provides education on nutrition, cooking, and gardening in order to combat childhood malnutrition. In recent years, the cooperative started a community transformation program aimed to help 70 young mothers from the ages of 18-25. The program is designed to teach them how to save, includes small savings and credit groups, and gifts them a collective coffee field. All sales of cherry from this field go directly to the women.

We're excited and proud to offer this exceptional coffee that has done so much for the community from where it hails.