Onyx Coffee Lab
Rwanda Rambagirakawa

Rambagirakawa roughly translates to 'professional women owning and growing coffee trees.' The Dukundekawa Coop supported the formation of a female only growing group, who produced this stunning washed microlot. Expect notes of dried fig and delicate florals in the aroma like elderflower. We enjoy this coffee as a filter offering. The Dukunde Kawa cooperative is located high in Northern Rwanda in the Gakenke district. For the last decade, there has existed a sub-cooperative known as Rambagirakawa. This all-female-led cooperative was started to empower leaders within the community with a firm vision for the future of coffee production in the region. Since its inception, the Rambagirakawa cooperative has set high bars in coffee quality and social programs. During the off-season of coffee production, the co-op is involved in varying ways to create jobs and commerce within the community, providing income past the sometimes single payment way of life of a small-holder producer. As a part of the larger Dukunde Kawa, this sub-co-op practices stringent quality control for cherry selection and processing. The QC standards have gone beyond green production to sensory evaluation to empower members to taste the outcome of the harvest, pinpointing defects and how to prevent them. The short history of this microlot is synergistic in nature, first produced by a relatively new cooperative leading the charge in quality. Within a similar vein, the inner workings of sourcing and quality control at Onyx allow staff members to work on project-based sourcing. This micro-lot was sourced by Seth Puckett, a member of our roasting team, with the help of Artisan coffee. This project-based system allows our staff to have a firsthand look at contracts, cupping, and logistics along the supply chain. Hopefully, the outcome is to create the next generation of leaders within specialty coffee.