Main Info
Activity description
Experience the entire coffee making process from seed to the finished product. This tours starts in the nursery and ends with a cup of Rwandan coffee ground and roasted in the traditional way.
The COOPROCAKI Coffee Cooperative have welcomed visitors for many years. The best way to learn more about how Rwanda coffee is being grown, processed, roasted and drunk is to join one of the coffee tours offered by the cooperative.
The coffee tour at the COOPROCAKI Coffee Cooperative starts in one of the coffee plantations with spectacular views of Lake Kivu. Here you will first be introduced to the coffee plant, its life cycle and how Rwanda coffee is grown. Depending on the time of year, you will be able to pick the coffee beans from the tree or at least see how the coffee beans are growing.
After visiting the coffee plantation, the tour continues at the nursery. Rwanda coffee plants are raised locally from local beans. At the nursery you will see how the coffee trees are raised from beans to young seedlings and eventually brought out and planted at the plantations.
From the nursery you will be taken through the coffee plantation to the washing station. Your guide will explain how the coffee is fermented, sorted and washed. This process removes the outer skin of the coffee bean in a way which develops the right tastes and aromas of the beans inside. The coffee is then sorted into different grades depending on the hardness and weight of each individual bean.
Throughout your visit to the coffee cooperative you will notice that a certain scent present. The waste water from the fermentation and washing of the coffee is toxic but is recycled as fertilizer on the coffee plantations.
After seeing the complex process which the coffee bean passes through, the guide will take you to the place where the coffee beans are being dried. Rwanda coffee is usually produced from a coffee type called Arabica Bourbon which is a small-yield but high-quality type of coffee which requires special care.
Throughout your tour you will notice that the entire process is done by hand and that very little machinery or mechanical assistants are being used. This is also true when it comes to the end of the tour.
At the end of the tour, you will be treated to a cup of locally grown coffee from the cooperative. Before you are able to drink the coffee you have to prepare the beans by hand in a traditional way. First you will manually roast the coffee over hot coals. The beans must then be pounded by hand, using a traditional wooden mortar. After the coffee beans are roasted and pounded, you can now heat water it over a fire and mix your own fresh cup of Rwandan coffee.
About the organizer
Most of Rwanda coffee is produced on small scale farms found throughout the country. The largest producing region of Rwanda coffee is the Kivu Belt, which is the western part of Rwanda along the shores of Lake Kivu. Rwanda Coffee farms are small and usually organized into coffee cooperatives. The purpose of the coffee cooperatives is to coordinate and cooperate around certain important parts of the coffee preparation process such as the washing, fermentation and drying process. Coffee production is a complex process and the coffee passes through many steps before it can be roasted, packed and later brewed into a cup of consumable Rwanda coffee.
COOPROCAKI is a cooperative of coffee farmers located in the Kivumu Sector in Rutsiro District. The cooperative offers an amazing agro-tourism package based on two locally grown crops, coffee and banana. You will have the opportunity to learn hands on about coffee growing processes from the farmers and engage in activities such as mulching, pruning, harvesting coffee beans to sorting, peeling and roasting, amongst others. Join us for this marvelous journey through our estate and the homes of our members. Additionally, the spectacular view of the Lake Kivu will make your tour more memorable.
At the COOPROCAKI Coffee Cooperative on the shores of Lake Kivu in Rwanda, the washing station is made up of 50 farmers who grown coffee on parts of their farms. Together as members of the COOPROCAKI Coffee Cooperative, they share a common drying and washing station which is used for the lengthy process of fermenting, peeling, washing and drying the coffee. Like most Rwanda coffee farmers, the members of the COOPROCAKI Coffee Cooperative also grow other crops on parts of their land. These crops are mainly used for self-consumption. Even though some of the coffee is traditionally roasted and consumed by the members, most of the coffee produced at the COOPROCAKI Coffee Cooperative is shipped away and sold.
Before You Go
- A bit of walking over uneven ground, wear comfortable outdoor shoes
- You will spend some time in the sun, wear a hat and sunscreen
- Bring an umbrella or rain coat in case of rain
- Bikers and hikers on the Congo Nile Trail can access the start of the tour directly on the trail. The road to the start of the tour is rough and requires a 4×4 in case you arrive by car.
