The Dukunde Kawa Cooperative is located high in the hills of the Musasa region of Rwanda. The high altitude plays an important part in the exceptional quality of the coffee produced. The sweeping views from the washing station of green hills and valleys is breath-taking. Dukunde Kawa was established in 2004 and currently has 1176 active members. The cooperative has been Fairtrade Certified since 2004 and added Rainforest Alliance, UTZ and Café Practises Certification in 2018. The cooperative owns three washing stations, Musasa, Coko, and Mbilima. Mbilima washing station has been Organic Certified as part of a Women in Coffee program. Dukunde Kawa have established themselves as an important part of the community. They employ people, run a basket weaving project, provide access to a grain mill, have built a milk pasteurisation facility, as well as offering loans to farmers specifically for school fees and medical expenses. They have given the community cows as a great source of additional income. The cooperative focuses on perfecting their coffee by offering three day agricultural training sessions for 400 farmers at a time at least once a year. The training covers coffee quality, farming, and certifications among other things. They have also recently built a full dry mill facility which creates local employment and additional income for farmers in the Musasa region. Bean There began purchasing coffee from Dukunde Kawa in 2013 and we are inspired by their model of how Fairtrade works not only for the farmers but also the community at large.
