To learn how Rwanda Ordinary transformed itself into a gourmet
choice, we spoke to Schluter S.A., "the African coffee people" who
have been in business since 1858. Philip Schluter, the
sixth-generation head of the Swiss-based family firm, explained the
process to Trade Forum.
Rwandan coffee is traditionally smallholder-produced. Until
recently, they would pick the ripe cherries (raw coffee beans),
then use a small hand-pulper to take the skin off - or, in the
worst-case scenario, with rocks. They would then dry the coffee,
ferment it in a small bucket with water and dry it in the sun. One
smallholder fermented it for 18 hours, another for 48. Some used
dirty water, others used clean, depending on where they were.
Coffee quality therefore varied widely. They delivered it in very
small lots of "parchment" (beans still surrounded by a layer known
as parchment) to a central buying station, where it was put into
commercial-sized lots, hulled in the factory and exported.
The coffee obtained - because of variance in water quality,
fermentation time and so on - is of industrial quality. It has been
exported, primarily to large industrial roasters, under the names
Rwanda Ordinary and Rwanda Standard, which is probably not a good
example of branding. Up to 2000 this was true of all the coffee in
Rwanda.
Better quality
In 2000, the authorities carried out a feasibility study through
the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to
see how they could add value to coffee, whether the coffee had the
inherent characteristics for better quality, which would require
washing stations or wet mills. These are basically fermentation
units. Like wine, fermented coffee is worth a lot more, but needs a
central process. Fermentation was being done - in small buckets and
with varied results. Central washing stations have small "swimming
pools" where one puts the coffee and controls the fermentation
process. Coffee can then be extremely well prepared.
Having decided it was feasible to produce better-grade coffee,
the authorities set up two projects - one with cooperatives and one
with private investors (the side that involved Schluter). When
buying coffee from the small farmers, instead of taking the small
parchment, project workers handpicked out cherries that were
overripe or under ripe, providing jobs for local women, and
controlled the fermentation process.
Sharing across countries
One good thing about the Rwanda story is that it used African
expertise. Kenyan experts ran washing stations for the first two
years and trained the local Rwandans. We took one of the Rwandans
trained by a Kenyan to Cameroon to teach Cameroonians how to
operate washing stations. Then we sent a Cameroonian to Tanzania
who spent a while learning how to do it (from the experienced
Tanzanian producers) and is now running a project in Cameroon. It
shows how expertise developed across Africa can grow projects for
all these countries.
In 2006 the Rwandans produced 2,500 tonnes of fully-washed
coffee. The aim is to get the whole country producing fully-washed
coffee by 2010. Burundi, next door to Rwanda, produces 36,000
tonnes of coffee, of which 30,000 is fully washed, using 148
washing stations. Rwanda has 71 at the end of the current season,
of which about 50 are operational and more are being built.
The impact and interest among Rwandans are growing. I went to
Rwanda recently with one of our coffee buyers. The President lent
us a boat, with a general to take us around Lake Kivu to visit the
washing stations. By the end of the day the boat's captain told us:
"I am going to go home to my family's plot of land and build a
washing station."
Better branding
The premium from this coffee is in the order of 300%, due to
good processing. Rwandan coffee has been one of the big hits in the
world speciality market in the last five years. It was awarded the
"Starbucks Black Apron". Every two or three months Starbucks picks
the best new coffee on offer in its stores and runs a special
promotion. The award is so named because of the black aprons worn
by store managers and coffee-expert staff in the coffee shops. The
idea is that this is what the real coffee connoisseurs recommend.
Rwandan coffee is now being featured in Swiss, other European and
Middle Eastern stores. It's an indication of their commitment that
Starbucks employees themselves raised over $50,000 to buy cows for
local farmers in coffee-growing areas of Rwanda so that the small
producers would have both nutrition and manure for the coffee
plants.
Interview by Peter Hulm. For more on Schluter S.A., see http://www.schluter.ch/
Contributors: Morten Scholer, Natalie Domeisen.