Rwanda – Gikomero

Gikomero Washing Station was established in 2010 and joined RTC’s supply chain in 2011. Sitting at approximately 1,600 meters in growing elevation, RTC purchased the wet mill from the previous owner in 2012, and the station receives two to three containers worth cherries every season.

In an effort to support coffee farmers in the rural part of Kigali, RTC offers farmers at Gikomero with direct access to a comprehensive agronomytraining program that in addition to good agricultural practices teaches farmers financial literacy and good record keeping habits. Farmer groups are offered direct access to financing for inputs, school fee loans, along with other incentives.

These incentives promote successful farming businesses and healthy families. In the last 3 years, the washing station has distributed over 200,000 coffee seedlings to farmers surrounding it, in an effort to rejuvenated the supply chain. Gikomero expects to see increase production in the years to come once the recently planted trees start producing.

This coffee is delivered to the station where cherry is floated and floaters removed. The coffee is then pulped on a 3 disc Pinhalense pulper. After this the coffee is then dry fermented in tiled tanks overnight. The coffee the passes through the garding channels to be cleaned and then taken to raised beds to dry for 11-14 days.