The Musasa Dukunde Kawa cooperative has three washing stations lying high in Rwanda’s rugged northwest. Ruli- the cooperative’s first washing station- was built by the co-op in 2003 with a development loan from the Rwandan government and the support of the USAID-financed PEARL project. Mbilima- the cooperative’s second washing station- was built by the co-op in 2005 with profits earned from their first washing station, Ruli, constructed only two years prior. Respectively, constructed at 1,999 meters and 2,020 meters above sea level, they are some of Rwanda’s hıghest washing stations.

Musasa Dukunde Kawa now owns three washing stations and is one of Rwanda’s larger cooperatives, Ruli has grown to process 9 containers of exportable coffee, of which we select the finest.

Most of the small scale producers with whom Musasa Dukunde Kawa works own less than a quarter of a hectare of land, where they cultivate an average of only 250-300 coffee trees each as well as other subsistence food crops such as maize and beans.

The level of care that Musasa Dukunde Kawa Ruli & Mbilima takes over their processing is impressive. Cherries are hand-picked only when fully ripe and then pulped that same evening using a mechanical pulper that divides the beans into three grades by weight.

In addition to the great work that the cooperative does with quality improvement and assurance, they also have various social programs that greatly contribute to the livelihoods of their members. School fees and medical insurance are provided along with training in quality and productivity in cultivation of coffee.