finca El Diviso

Region: Rutsito district

Elevation: 1800 masl.

Varieties: red bourbon

Processing: natural process

sweet tart • prune • berries coulis • resonnant finish •cacao nibs • apple

Mushonyi washing station is situated just one kilometer away from the shores of Lake Kivu. The 1,200 growers that deliver cherry to this station live and farm on the hills surrounding Mushonyi. In these hills, the altitude can vary from a low of 1,600 meters above sea level to a high of 1,950 meters above sea level. Farmers, on average, cultivate only about 300 coffee trees on their small plots. Many also intercrop bananas, eucalyptus and cassava to generate additional income.

Mushonyi was originally built by the army. At the time, the army was anticipating high volumes of cherry, and they built to size. The station has eight fermentation tanks, a standard washing channel and cherry sorting shed for additional sorting before cherry is de-pulped. Rwacof maintains this infrastructure in pristine condition, even in years when the washing station’s capacity exceeds the volume of cherry delivered.

Harvest & Post-Harvest

After purchasing cherry from producers, Mushonyi sends the cherry through a strict sorting process. First, washing station staff remove any lower quality cherry through flotation. Then, a specially trained staff visually inspects the remaining cherry for any visual defects.

Following sorting, cherry is laid to dry in the sun on raised beds where it is turned regularly to ensure even drying.