VUNGA

Nyabihu District, Rwanda

Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Washed
Harvest date: May - June 2022
Fermentation: After being pulped, the coffee is left to ferment for 6 - 10 hours before being laid to dry
Drying time: 25 - 35 days dried on raised beds
Drying temperature: 28°C Max. - 15 °C Min.  
Altitude: 1650 - 2000masl
Region: Nyabihu District, Rwanda
Rainfall:  1850 mm/year
Humidity: 70%

Vunga is a cooperative that has partnered with Muraho Trading Co to assist with finance and education. The team at Vunga is led by women and has 260 active members who contribute. The operation is not of huge scale, but the quality is remarkable, and has been recognized a handful of times with a placement as high as 4th in Cup of Excellence Rwanda. 

All the coffee produced at Vunga is being washed. After being pulped in a Penagos depulper, the coffee is fermented for an average of 6 hours before being laid to dry for 25-35 days on raised beds. When we were there, the parchment was clean, the beds were being raked, shifted and sorted, and the team behind Vunga is always very excited for our visits and to meet foreign buyers.

We believe this cooperative has the potential to achieve amazing cup quality and demonstrate the operations of a sustainable cooperative model in the coffee industry. Daphrose, the station manager, is a very highly regarded and strong willed woman, who asked for feedback on her execution stages at the cooperative. This alone is a sign that great things are to come for the members of Vunga and the coffees they're producing. 

Sitting close to the borders of Uganda and Congo in Northern Rwanda. The terrain surrounding Vunga is rolling hills, banana trees and a cool climate influenced by the Gicice River keeps the maturation of coffee in the area happening slowly, leading to sweet and dense cherries when ripe.