Gisanga coffee washing station
UTZ certified coffee
Gisanga is one of the best coffee-growing regions of Rwanda’s central plateau. High up in the mountains 1,650-1,850m above sea level with clay, sandy soils and cool humidity. This is beautiful country on the mountains of the Congo-Nile Divide between Rwanda and Burundi.
Our Gisanga coffee is UTZ certified and cups at 87+. Gisanga coffee washing station (CWS) is the first of our three CWS and supplies all Tropic Coffee from southern Rwanda.
Fully washed UTZ certified coffee
Our Gisanga coffee is 100% red bourbon, UTZ certified, specialty coffee. It is grown by over 850 coffee farmers who operate under the Koapambu Cooperative. The farmers bring their harvested coffee cherries directly to our coffee washing station (CWS) – 650 tons of cherries per season.
Gisanga coffee is fully washed, using natural spring water known as “Theresa’s natural spring”. This is an old name from the 1980’s, when the Theresa family lived in the village and used this water for washing coffee using a home processing method.
When the coffee cherries are ripe and red on the trees, farmers hand pick and deliver them to the washing station daily by foot or bicycle.
At the peak of the season they use a truck from a local collection point where the harvest is aggregated. Tropic Coffee always pays farmers extra for their logistical expenses.
Washed and honey processing our specialty coffee
Once the coffee cherries arrive at the washing station, our mostly female workers intensively hand sort and float the cherries to make sure we only process the highest quality. The coffee is pulped on the same day of delivery in the evening, using a mechanical pulper that separates coffee beans in different grades.
After pulping, the coffee is fermented for 10-16 hours in open tanks and graded in the morning using a floatation system in a channel with clean water. To protect our environment and water supplies, we have installed a wastewater treatment system.
The coffee is transferred to sorting tables under shade for pre-sorting by, and then to open raised tables for sun drying. They stay here for a maximum of three weeks and are regularly monitored and turned for air flow and consistent drying.
Our workers at Tropic Coffee are skilled in semi-drying honey processing coffee for specific micro lots. During this process, the outer skin and pulp are removed, leaving some mucilage around the parchment coffee. This gives the beans their unique flavour of brown sugar, chocolate and intense sweetness. The beans are then dried in the sun or more slowly, developing into yellow, red and black honey coffee.