In the Grinder - Our Daily Coffee Weblog

This upcoming Tuesday October 25th, we will be hosting a COE Rwanda Cupping at 10AM.  All are invited and encoured to come cup some of the best coffees out of Rwanda this year. 

Please RSVP to jamin@cafeimports.com at least 24 hours in advance if you plan on attending!

COOPAC coop is located in the western Rwandan provinces of Rabavu and Rutsiro.  Rabavu lies on the shores of the great African Lake Kivu, the border between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.  Lake Kivu has long been the center of African lore because of its unparalleled beauty and surprising volcanic nature.  Tribesmen in this region of Rwanda have long reported seeing explosions far out in the lake.  The geologic activity of this region may be one of the main factors contributing to the incredible soil used to grow coffee trees here.  COOPAC is revered for its wonderful ecological environment in the steep slopes of the volcanic mountains, and also for its abundance in healthy rain.  All of these factors come together to create the ideal coffee growing environment for COOPAC.

COOPAC Coop is Fair Trade Certified, and their membership has doubled every year over the past 10 years to over 2000 farmers in 2010.  People here are proud to be a member of COOPAC, and truly look out for one another like family.  COOPAC has invested a significant amount of money into the infrastructure for processing coffee.  They have committed to exporting only high quality fully washed coffee, and their efforts have paid off; this year COOPAC took home the top price in the 2010 Rwandan Cup of Excellence.  Jason was in Rwanda for the event, and said it was an incredible time.

We are so proud to have worked with COOPAC over the past several years.  Right now we have some very nice Fair Trade COOPAC Coffee (ID P2310).  We also bought several other lots, including really nice Peaberries that will be on our offering sheets soon, while Jason was on the ground this year and are very excited for them. We are working with COOPAC as we speak to further develop a microlot program. We want to continue to work with COOPAC not only for their amazing coffee, but because this organization is doing amazing things for the quality of life of the people of Rwanda and raising the bar on coffee quality industry wide.

Keep an eye out for new COOPAC Coffees!