Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
Rwanda Sholi

Abateraninkunga ba Sholi (“Sholi”) Cooperative, meaning “Mutual Assistance,” is located in Muhanga district, Southern Province, in the center of Rwanda, about halfway between Kigali and Lake Kivu. Established in 2008, Sholi has been producing coffee for nearly a decade, and the Cooperative’s name speaks to its members working together to improve both their coffee and the greater community. Sholi was borne out of a women’s association called “Kundwa”, which means “love” in Kinyarwanda. The Cooperative received its Fairtrade certification in 2015 and Rainforest Alliance certification in 2016. Nearly half (157) of Sholi’s 386 members are women, including two of the five board members. In 2016, Sholi received a grant to build both a community center and a regional health center to serve members and residents. With the nearest larger health facility being over 18 km away on poor roads, the blood tests and treatment they can provide for malaria, parasites, respiratory infection, and basic first aid. Betty, the head nurse, along with the other four staff members, are hoping to run a nutrition and cooking program to combat early childhood (< 5 years old) malnutrition, as working out some public-health partnerships with other clinics in the region. With over 400,000 trees already planted, Sholi has continued to invest in its long-term agriculture, planting 18,000 trees in 2016 and 30,000 additional trees by the end of 2017. Coffee processing at Sholi is similar to other coffee cooperatives in Rwanda, although each has its minor variations. After coffee cherries are delivered to the washing station, the coffee is pulped and dry-fermented for 18-24 hours, then rinsed. A4 (lowest grade) is dried and sold to the local market. The three higher grades (A1, 2, 3) are soaked for another 24 hours before washing. The wet parchment is hand-picked on covered raised beds before being moved to the drying beds. About the variety : ( World Coffee Research) French missionaries introduced Bourbon from Yemen to Bourbon Island (now La Réunion)—giving it the name it has today—in the early 1700s. Until the mid-19th century, Bourbon did not leave the island. But beginning in the mid-1800s, the variety spread to new parts of the world as the missionaries moved to establish footholds in Africa and the Americas.