Our Karemano coffee is grown under an agroforestry system without any chemical herbicide or pesticides. By growing coffee without using chemicals under shade trees, the health of the producers, their families, community and wildlife is enhanced.  The coffee plants thrive under the shade trees in the highlands near Lake Muhazi, an area known for producing the highest quality coffee due to the excellent growing conditions in this region.

It takes a team of 621 smallholder farmers to grow and tend this precious crop. Of these farms sixty-one percent are owned by women.

The story of Rwandan coffee is one of resilience and transformation. The twin tragedies in the 1990s of both the coffee market price crash and the 1994 Rwandan Genocide brought coffee production almost to an end. Global support poured into the country, however, and coffee was once again cultivated, not only as a commercial crop, but more importantly as specialty grade coffee.  Today Rwanda is a global powerhouse in producing high-quality specialty coffee.

The Karemano washing station which processes these coffee cherries also supports farmer training, seedling distribution, and technical instruction which has resulted in consistent quality improvement and has built strong community development.