KINUNU COFFEE WASHING STATION

K
INUNU CWS (SOCOR On top of the 3,000 coffee
Café) is a branch of growers supplying the washing
SOCOR S.A.R.L., a family station with coffee cherries,
owned-company finding its roots SOCOR Café owns a field with
in the region. SOCOR Café 20,000 coffee-producing trees A
started producing specialty coffee tree nursery has been set up to
(Fully -Washed Coffee) under the provide seedlings to the
label KINUNU COFFEE by surrounding population.
setting up its first coffee washing
station in 2004 at MURAMBA,
BONEZA sector, RUTSIRO
District, in the Western Province
of RWANDA.

Plantations of SOCOR CAFE

The current business model

allows sustainable production of
What you see from Kinunu CWS organic coffee by introducing
organic farming techniques
The coffee washing station is including the use of organic
located in the prime coffee- manure coming from cows.
producing region of the country,
on volcanic soils of the hills
overlooking Lake Kivu, at about
2,000 metres above sea level.

The climate is perfect for coffee

production. The rainfall is
approximately 1,100 mm per
year and is evenly distributed
across the entire area.

Coffee-tree under shade

Coffee Process
1. From cherries to green
beans:
On arrival at the station, as they
are received, the farmer puts the
coffee cherries on the selection
tables. At this stage, there are
two inspectors who control the
quality of the coffee cherries and
only take those that were
harvested the same day, which
are red all over and do not
change over eight hours.
This leaves a margin of time
because, after twelve hours,
fermentation begins in the pulp
which spoils the quality. Green,
yellow black or rotting cherries
are not accepted. The coffee
cherries are soaked in water-
filled receptacles. Those that
float are rejected and the denser
ones that sink below the surface
are retained.
Coffee cherries
The coffee cherries are dropped
into reception tanks where they
flow by gravity in water down to
the depulping machine. The
MacKinnon depulper has four
disks and, after depulping the
cherries into coffee beans, uses
wire mesh to separate them into
three different qualities,
depending on their densities.
The first quality is the densest
and heaviest and comprises 85%
of the harvest.
The second quality comprises
10% and the third quality
5%.The first and second quality
beans flow into a second series of
fermentation tanks, where they
ferment under water for twenty-
four hours.
Then they are sorted manually to
separate out imperfect beans and
floating debris not detected
previously. The third quality
beans are washed and sent
immediately to the pre -drying
tables for four hours, prior to
before being sent to the drying
tables.
After the selection process, the
coffee beans pass down a sloping
channel for thirty meters with a
gradient of 2% where they are
again washed by hand to
separate the imperfect ones.
Sloping channel
After the washing, the coffee is
soaked under water in special
tanks for between 20 and 24
hours to enhance the quality.
After the draining process, the
coffee is carried to the drying
tables in 20 Kgs baskets, where
it spends 10 to 15 days in the
sun and is turned continually to
ensure that it dries uniformally.
Drying tables ( parchment coffee)
At the same time the coffee goes
through a final inspection
process before it is finally dry.
Final Inspection
The end of the drying is
determined by the humidity of
the coffee, which will vary
between 10 and 12% when dry.
Only then can the coffee be
removed from the drying tables.
The coffee sacks weigh 60 kilos
each and one shipping container
holds 300 to 320 sacks.
2. Roasted coffee:
When beans roast at high heat,
their sugars develop; and they
begin to take on their
accustomed coffee color, aroma,
and taste. Pyrolysis – a chemical
change brought about at about
405°F – occurs so that the beans'
starches convert to sugar.
A successful light roast (415-
425°F) generates enough sugar
to prevent bitterness while
allowing the beans' individual,
varietal flavor to prevail.
Some Partners : Contacts :

B.P. 10 Kigali
Tel/fax : +250 573853
Mob :+25008305493
E-mail : philippe@e-lab.co.rw

RWANDA FINE COFFEE

ASSOCIATION

Banque de Kigali

Banque Commerciale du
Rwanda