Producer: Women Coffee Extension (WCE) – Kawa Yacu
Region: Mbizi, Rwanda
Elevation: 1,700 masl
Process: Fully Washed
Cultivar: Bourbon
Harvest: February
Flavor Notes: Peach • Lemon • Black Tea
Body: Medium
Acidity: Semi-Bright
About the Farm
Kawa Yacu is produced by the Women Coffee Extension (WCE), a women-led coffee cooperative operating through the Mbizi Coffee Washing Station in Rwanda. Founded in 2017 by Aline Christine and Odette Uwamariya, the cooperative was established to strengthen the voices of female coffee producers and create greater opportunities for women within Rwanda's specialty coffee industry.
Today, WCE represents more than 700 female coffee producers, providing agricultural education, nutritional support, family planning resources, and livestock programs that help improve household stability and economic independence. These initiatives have contributed to meaningful improvements in productivity, with reported yields increasing from three to four kilograms of coffee per tree and the washing station's production growing from three to six shipping containers of green coffee.
Looking toward the future, WCE continues to pursue initiatives that extend beyond coffee production, including expanded healthcare access, livestock distribution, vocational training, and educational facilities for local children. Through these efforts, Kawa Yacu represents not only the quality of Rwandan specialty coffee but also the collective dedication of women working to strengthen their communities.
About the Bean
This organic, fully washed peaberry lot from Kawa Yacu highlights the delicate sweetness, vibrant acidity, and refined clarity characteristic of high-elevation Rwandan coffee. Grown at approximately 1,700 meters above sea level, the Bourbon cherries are processed at the Mbizi Coffee Washing Station, where the fruit is removed and the coffee is washed before being carefully dried on raised beds.
Unlike conventional coffee beans, which typically develop as two flat-sided seeds within a single coffee cherry, peaberries form when only one rounded seed develops. These distinctive beans are separated during grading, creating a lot with a more uniform shape and size.
In the cup, soft notes of ripe peach lead with a gentle sweetness, complemented by bright lemon and the delicate, aromatic character of black tea. A medium body provides balance to the coffee's lively citrus acidity, creating a clean, refreshing profile with a smooth, tea-like finish that showcases the elegance and complexity of carefully processed Rwandan Bourbon coffee.
