Muraho Trading Co is our exporting partner in Rwanda. It was set up by brothers Karthick and Gaudam Anbalagam with the goal of showcasing the phenomenal quality of coffees that Rwanda has to offer. Since building their first washing station, Kilimbi, in 2016, they have gone on to establish six further stations in Rwanda - Rugali, Shyira, Bumbogo, Gisheke, Vunga and Cyesha - each of which serve the surrounding growing communities, offering them easier access, and better payment terms and support than the alternatives that were available to them previously.
We work predominantly with the Shyira washing station in the Nyabihu region, purportedly the highest washing station in Rwanda, located at 1,850 MASL and receiving cherry grown up to 2,300 MASL. The result, season on season, is some of the most complex and nuanced Rwandan coffees we have ever tasted.
In 2018, Muraho introduced a selection of new varieties for Rwanda (including gesha and nzinza) to a nursery in the town of Shyira, which have subsequently been developed and processed at the Shyira washing station. Shyira was selected as the ideal location to introduce and develop these varieties due to its high altitude, regular rainfall and cool temperatures. We have had the great privilege of being amongst the first to roast these coffees, and to share them with the wider coffee community, and we can’t wait to see what else there is to come.