Gitesi #2 – Rwanda

Gitesi is a private washing station owned and run by a father and son team, Alexis and Aime Gahizi. The washing station was built in 2005 and began processing coffee in 2006, it is located in the Gitesi sector in the Western Province of Rwanda. In the early years, they were struggling to keep the washing station operating, and they have fought hard to make it a profitable business. Finally, in 2010, they managed to turn a profit and have since built a sustainable company.

Gitesi has very strong relationships with the farmers in the local community, there are over 1,800 coffee farmers who deliver cherry to Gitesi. The washing station has also implemented a bonus system based on performance, which is paid out to the farmers at the end of the year. The season for Rwanda can run from March through to August, but for the most part, our selections coming from May to July picking of cherry.

They have very strict routines for cherry reception and sorting, cherry delivered by farmers must be sorted by the farmers themselves, if this is not done sufficiently there are staff who will do further sorting. The cherries are placed in a tank prior to pulping where floaters are removed and processed separately as lower grade coffee.

Gitesi are CAFÉ Practices certified and Rainforest Alliance certified. They have a modern wastewater management system and produce organic or natural fertilizer through coffee pulp. They also have a pilot program where farmers can learn about growing different vegetables, ensuring that they have some income outside of the coffee season.