Rwanda continues to struggle to overcome poverty and rebuild its stagnant economy. Rwandan coffee growers have been especially hard hit due to falling prices on the international coffee market, often giving up on coffee production altogether. In some areas of the country the coffee sector has been devastated and trees have been left unattended for several years. Prior to the genocide when coffee prices were higher, coffee was the primary cash crop of Rwanda. In 1990, Rwanda exported 45,000 tons of coffee per year. This has fallen to approximately 17,000 tons per year.

In 2001, working with the 425-member Maraba Coffee Growers’ Association, Abahuzamugambi, and partner institutions, the new PEARL Outreach Center has mobilized to respond to the increasingly dire conditions and has made a concerted effort to turn the situation around. Over the past two years, the Maraba growers have retrofitted their entire selection and processing system including start-up of the new washing station, developed and implemented a business plan, obtained financing, and produced a high quality bean that is now being sold to their first “quality” coffee customer, Community Coffee (US). As a result, growers have approximately tripled their cash incomes and are now at the point where they can meet basic needs such as school fees, medicines, and housing improvements. Word has gotten out in the Maraba district about the success of the association and membership in the association has grown to over 1,500.

In February 2003, a grand opening for the sale of Maraba “Estate” coffee in Sainsbury supermarkets, was held in London by the growers’ second corporate partner, Union Roasters, attended by the British Secretary of State and Rwanda’s Minister of Commerce. Under the Fair Trade agreement, growers are assured of receiving good prices.

A critical factor in the success of this effort has been, and will continue to be, the productive synergy that has developed within the PEARL partnership. The availability of technical, financial, and human resources from these partners has been essential for the initial success of the specialty coffee venture.

“People have been able to solve social problems, pay medical bills and school fees, and repair their houses. The [coffee washing] station has also supplied clean water to farmsteads. Coffee prices are now higher, and jobs have been created in the running of the station. People have learned to take care of their plantations and produce better quality coffee. The station is gender sensitive and especially helps widows and orphans to take care of their plantation and increase their harvests.”
- Francois Habimana, Executive Director of Maraba Growers’ Association

The Maraba experience is now seen as a successful model for the new Rwandan quality coffee sector, and efforts are being made to spread this success on a national scale. PEARL is now working with 10 grower associations across Rwanda for the production and export of high quality specialty coffee. Technical support for quality control and cooperative management is being provided by Thanksgiving Coffee of California. In February 2004, PEARL project coffee will be launched at 31 Whole Foods stores in Illinois with the support and cooperation of new corporate partners BD Imports and Intelligentsia Coffee of Chicago. These companies have an international reputation for providing the highest quality coffees to their clientele and are working intensively with the project to bring Rwandan coffee into a prominent position in the US specialty coffee market.

For further details on the Maraba Coffee Story, go here.

 

To Contact Pearl: Dan Clay, Director
Institute of International Agriculture, Michigan State University
319 Agriculture Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Phone: 517-355-0174 Fax: 517-353-1888