THE GRAINS

Origin: Rwanda
Roast: Filter
Washing Station: Baho Coffee
Altitude: 1,073 meters above sea level
Variety: SL34
Benefit: Anaerobic fermentation 120h
Tasting notes: dark chocolate, red fruits, meaty

HISTORY

At the end of February, a 30 kg white box arrived at the roastery. A radiant white box that had traveled from Rwanda to Rotterdam, Netherlands. Inside were two vacuum-sealed packages. Upon opening the first package, an incredibly sweet aroma filled the room. The beans, of the SL34 variety, fermented for 120 hours, were a yellow color reminiscent of Kellogg's cereal. A nano-batch with zero defects, ready to be profiled in our roaster. A delicious coffee for our series of canned coffees.

Baho Coffee owns and operates 10 washing stations in Rwanda and markets coffee from small producers to roasters worldwide. Founder Emmanuel Rusatira established Baho in 2017, driven by a passion to empower small farmers in Rwanda who are marginalized despite producing delicious coffee.

We first met Emmanuel at World of Coffee 2022, a trade fair held in Milan, Italy. He was radiating energy like the sun, illuminating everyone around him. It was only later that we learned of his achievements as a coffee producer.

In Kinyarwanda, an official language of Rwanda, “baho” means “stay strong” and “never give up.” Using the word for his company name was a decision intertwined with his past, one in which he rose from the depths of despair. In an interview, Emmanuel told us what he hopes to achieve through his coffee business.

THE IMPORTER

TYPICA is an online platform where coffee producers connect with roasters for the direct trade of green coffee. "In the coffee industry, direct trade means a relationship where coffee producers and roasters do business directly without any intermediaries. Our definition of direct trade is a relationship where producers and roasters communicate directly and buy and sell coffee with complete transparency. For small farmers who only speak their own language and don't have bank accounts, local partners play a crucial role. Given these circumstances, TYPICA doesn't focus on eliminating intermediaries, but rather actively works with the best partners and ensures the smoothest possible transaction between producers and roasters."

RECIPE