Christmas Coffee - Mbare Rwanda

Region: Muhanga District
Altitude: 1800 m.a.s.l.
Variety: Red Bourbon
Processing: Washed

UK Arrival: September 2026

Tasting Notes: Perfect for sharing, a classic Rwandan profile with notes of dried apricot, golden raisin and a hint of vanilla custard. Very sweet with subtle stone fruit notes and a syrupy texture.

This time of year always gets us thinking about what our festive coffee should represent. We see this season as a time for people to celebrate the connections we have with loved ones and when everyone can come together to enjoy sharing with each other, whether that be gifts, a meal, or even a cup of coffee.

This lot comes to us from Rwamatamu, a Rwandan coffee company founded by Gaston Rutaganda and Laetitia Mukantwaza. In 2023 our head of Coffee visited Rwamatamu and we’ve continued that connection by roasting their coffee every year since. We also support their producer-led community projects by donating £1 from every bag we sell. This helps to support their Women's Cooperative in the Nyamasheke district and a Youth Producers project in Mbare.

Rwamatamu 

A family owned and operated washing station, Rwamatamu was established by Gaston Rutaganda and Laetitia Mukantwaza in 2015. Back then the couple wanted to grow and process coffee in order to support their family and to create jobs in their local community. There’s been a lot of growth since then but these twin aims, focusing on family and community, are still the driving forces at Rwamatamu.

One way they focus on community is by supporting women and young people through the Rwamatamu Women’s Cooperative and Rwamatamu Youth Association. The 21 members of the Women’s Cooperative sell their coffee to the washing station and get support through land, seedlings and monthly training sessions. The Youth Association brings together 19 young people, ages 18 to 35, who want to learn about coffee farming. The aging demographics of coffee farmers is a problem for the industry worldwide as young people chose more economically reliable career paths. In Mbare, the farming community skews older, because young people are increasingly gravitating toward opportunities in the nearby city of Kigali. As a result, farming - particularly coffee farming - is on the decline, often treated as a secondary endeavour to other cash crops being grown in the area. Like the Women’s Cooperative, Rwamatamu gifted them a plot of land and continued training in agronomy, as well as sensory skills training.

Steampunk has contributed to both groups through Omwani’s Producer-Led Projects initiative. You can find more info about the projects or make a direct donation HERE. This year, we’ll continue to support the initiative and donate £1 from the sale of each bag of coffee.

Two years ago they decided to sell their original site in favour of newer facilities in Mbare both because they’re located much closer to the drymill they use in Kigali and because Mbare’s facilities have the capacity to process three times the volume previously possible at Nyamasheke. This year they completed building a new storage facility which has already been helping them store and process coffee more effectively and efficiently than previous years. Rwamamtamu has committed to continuing to buy cherry from and support the Nyamasheke farmers, while also establishing new relationships with smallholders in Mbare.

Processing

This lot was grown and harvested by 34 farmers in the Muhanga District of South province, Rwanda, under the guidance of lead farmer Gracien Tugirimana. During processing at Rwamatamu’s Mbare washing station the cherries were sorted by hand to remove initial defects, before being pulped and washed through grading channels, eventually poured into tanks for 12 hours of fermentation to break down the mucilage on the seeds. After washing, the coffee parchment was spread out to dry in the sun upon raised beds for around 24 days. During this time seasonal workers turn the beans for even drying, while picking out defects by hand.

Omwani

Omwani was founded in 2018 and we’ve been buying coffee from them since 2020, after cofounder James Wilkinson made the trek out to our roastery in North Berwick with samples in hand. Today Omwani imports coffee from 12 East African origins to roasters all over the UK and Europe. 

This year marks Omwani’s fifth year of working with Rwamatamu, having connected with Bernice (Gaston and Laeticia's daughter) when she was studying in the UK and working as a barista. Omwani has seen amazing growth over the years, from helping setting up cupping labs, teaching fermentation protocols and even moving their entire operation to a different washing station. The connection they have is so strong and the ever rising quality of the coffee truly reflects the work that was put in by the family, their community and the long-lasting relationships that were found along the way.

A note about packaging

Our bags are #4 (LDPE—Low Density Polyethylene) made with 30% post consumer recycled plastic which can be recycled with carrier bags. These are widely collected at supermarkets and may even be collected by your local council. Find out how to refill or dispose of your Steampunk packaging HERE.