Rambagira's Rwanda

Dukunde Kawa, which translates to “Let’s Love Coffee,” is a coffee farmer’s cooperative founded in 2000 by 300 small-scale farmers from 10 coffeegrowing regions in the North of Rwanda, specifically in the former communes of MUSASA. The aim of the cooperative is to improve farmers’ economic market power and produce high-quality coffee.

The MUSASA region is known for its high-quality coffee grown in rich volcanic soil at an altitude of 1,800-2,200 meters, near the mountain gorilla habitat. Today, the cooperative has 1,193 members, including 304 women, and operates four wet mills and a modern dry mill.

Musasa Coffee has won the Rwanda Cup of Excellence several times and is certified with Organic, Fairtrade, Rain Forest Alliance, UTZ, and C.A.F.E. Practices. The cooperative has a strong focus on women’s development and has established the “Rambagira Kawa Women Group” to sell “women’s coffee”as well as engage in embroidery and weaving during the off-season.

Rambagira Kawa exports their coffee separately, which generates more income for their children’s education and improves the overall livelihood of the coffee community. Additionally, the cooperative has established a sewing association and exports traditional Rwandan hand-woven baskets.

Dukunde Kawa believes that coffee is about more than just taste and caffeine. It’s about changing lives and supporting communities. The cooperative provides benefits to its members, such as access to long-term credit without interest and health insurance, and has even built two schools.

Many farmers have also been able to renovate their homes, resulting in all members now having tile-roofed and cemented homes. Since 2012, the cooperative has provided 220 dairy cows to members in need to produce organic fertilizer for their coffee farms. In 2015, the Musasa Diary was born to respond to the farmers’ demand for collection centers and now collects, processes, and produces milk products such as fresh milk, fermented milk, yogurt, and cheese.