Kivubelt was established in 2011 by Furaha Umwizeye, after returning to Rwanda with a master’s degree in economics from Switzerland. Born and raised in Rwanda, Umwizeye’s goal with Kivubelt is to create a model coffee plantation, as sustainable in agriculture as it is impactful in local employment and empowerment.

​

The company began with 200 scattered acres of farmland in the Nyamasheke district, planting 90,000 coffee trees on their estates, which now employ more than 400 people during harvest months and is a kind of coffee vocational school for local smallholders interested in improving their farming. Kivubelt has also acquired two washing stations, Murundo (which we have previously featured coffee from) and Jarama, which combined not only process coffee from the company’s estates, but also that of more than 500 smallholders in the region, offering quality premiums and training programs for participating farming families.

​

The Nyamasheke district in Rwanda is gifted in terroir. The cool, humid climates of both Lake Kivu and the Nyungwe Forest National Park keep groundwater abundant throughout the uniquely hilly region. Kivu itself is part of the East African Rift whose consistent drift creates volcanic seepage from the lake’s bottom and enriches the surrounding soils. Coffees from this region are often jammier and heavier than in the rest of the country.

Triple Washed Process:

As is typical for most of the greatest Rwandan coffees, the coffee is “Triple Washed” indicating that the coffee cherries are floated and rinsed (to sort out low-density cherries as well as foreign material), washed again after fermentation is complete, and then soaked in clean parchment prior to drying. The process tends to improve cleanliness and complexity in the cup, and minimize defects.