Origin: Nyamasheke District, Rwanda

Producers: 31 female producers @ Akagera Washing Station

Process: Natural

Varieties: Red Bourbon

Altitude: 1535-1900masl

Importer: Semilla Coffee & Baho Coffee

Roast: Light

Notes: Peach, Cherry Blossom, Black Tea, Chocolate Mouse

Transparency - We paid Semilla $5.75 usd / lb + shipping from montreal to our roastery.

2024 Rwanda national farmgate price: 480 Rwanda Francs per kg cherry.
2024 Baho farmgate price Ikizere washed: 700 Rwanda Francs per kg cherry on delivery, 20RWF/Kg second payment. 720 RWF/kg total
2024 FOT Kigali price to Baho for Akagera washed lots: $4.08USD/lb.

Ikizere group's natural from Akagera

I had the privilege of meeting the owner and force behind Baho Coffee, Emmanuel, last year in Chicago! Greeted with a big smile and an even bigger hug, we spent time chatting about his coffees and the amazing projects he had underway.

One beautiful coffee from the Akagera Washing Station is the Akagera Ikizere Natural. This is a beautifully processed natural coffee with notes of sweet cherry blossom, chocolate, sweet citrus, and a big creamy body. We have found the Ikizere natural to be our favorite from this station for two years running. It produces a cup that’s explosive and fruit-forward with a delicate complexity.

The Ikizere Women's Group

The Ikizere group is a special project that supports women farmers. As a quote from Semilla explains:

“As in most of the world, patriarchy continues to create barriers for women in Rwanda... This group served to give recognition for their labors as smallholders but also to bring together women with similar backgrounds so that they could connect based on their shared experience and hopefully create a sense of community that assists them in their daily lives... For the 2022 harvest... the lot was only made up of the production of six women, but for 2023, an additional 25 women have been added to make a total of 31. These women are incredibly small farmers, with the smallest farmer, Marie Mukandaheranwa, managing only 50 trees!"

We're excited to support another amazing project from Baho by purchasing the Ikizere coffee for the second year in a row.

Akagera: Small Station, Big Potential

The Akagera Washing Station joined Baho Coffee when Emmanuel took the reins in early 2020. Located in the famous Nyamasheke District, between the stunning Lake Kivu and Nyungwe National Forest, Akagera's distinct coffee flavors are a result of its cool, humid air.

Akagera is one of Baho's smaller stations, with about 460 farmers delivering cherries. This smaller size lets the team focus on quality, ensuring every bean meets high standards. The station was originally established by the Kobakanya Cooperative, a group of 50 producers who struggled to find consistent market access. Recognizing Akagera's huge potential, Baho purchased the station. Now, Kobakanya and its growers have guaranteed high prices and direct access to the specialty coffee market.

Emmanuel is committed to this partnership, offering ongoing support, seedlings, and training. All coffees from Akagera this year fetched a farmgate price 50% above the national average, ensuring the producers are well rewarded for their hard work.

Emmanuel’s vision for his company is perfectly summed up in his own words:

“Baho’s vision on community is guided by having a synergetic relationship with the community of farmers that we work with… Our overall vision is implied by the meaning of our name, Baho, which in our local language means live/life... [Baho] never forgets the origin.”

We hope to buy more coffee from Baho as we grow, and to continue to watch Baho's network of producers grow as well. You can read more about this project on Semilla's website at: https://www.semilla.ca/baho-coffee-rwanda