It’s hard to overstate how fortunate we are to have partners like Baho and Sundog. This is the third time this year that we’ve launched a wildly delicious coffee from Rwanda. For us, and hopefully for you, each has felt like a blessing. While there is a certain magic to strong collaborative synergy, all of these blessings have really been bestowed upon us because our partners are the captains of a dream team — we just aren’t so silly as to squander their potential. 

Let’s unpack all this: in Rwanda, Emmanuel Rusatira is bringing out the absolute best in what he has long known to be deeply skilled farmers and distinctly sensational landscapes. And although it would be perfectly reasonable to describe him as a wizard, he’s not getting this done through sorcery. The “tricks” up his sleeve are staunchly pragmatic: transparent and equitable compensation, exhaustive education and facilitation of resource acquisition, extremely meticulous record-keeping, and ok, maybe one still-slightly-magical puzzle piece: future-focused vision.

Since starting Baho in 2016, Emmanuel has acquired twelve washing stations throughout the country. The full scope of his mission is too vast to summarize here, but chief among his goals is to dilute the largely monopolistic control that massive multi-national corporations have over the Rwandan coffee sector,  while concurrently developing an “appelation project” that highlights the singularities of the country’s myriad micro-regions. Specifically about Ngoma, Emmanuel had this to say:

To be honest, [Ngoma] is my best ever coffee washing station (CWS), with good views, [near] romantic attractions in Rwanda. It is located on the shores of Kivu Lake, with multiple options to connect with islands and other cherry collections sites. It is a very high-quality potential area, and in the ongoing Rwanda coffee appellation project, this CWS is selected because it has a unique profile that might be only found in the hills around it.  

While we’re not ready to pick favorites among Baho’s washing stations, we’re thrilled by the sound of all this. We can certainly confirm that this coffee’s flavor profile is unlike any other — a fact supported by the stunning specificity of its provenance — six farmers’ harvests over twelve days. Their names are Joseph Urimubenshi, Console Nyiramahururu, Costasie Nyiramatama, Chantal Nyiraminani, Bercmas Rumu, and Faustin Sayinzoga.

Finally, we owe major thanks to Ben Bowdoin of Sundog Trading, who started Sundog to get Baho’s coffees into the United States. In addition to his logistical heroics, Ben provides an incredible amount of insight into goings-on in Rwanda throughout the year, allowing us to feel a heck of a lot closer to the hands that pick and process these coffees.

Ngoma station images courtesy Emmanuel Rusatira (Baho Coffee) through Sundog Trading, used with permission.