Maraba Coffee
5478840
214298309
2008-05-22T22:48:08Z
WinterSpw
2881121
/* History */ Revised caption
[[Image:MarabaPacket2.jpg|thumb|right|220px|A packet of Maraba Coffee as sold in Rwanda]]
'''Maraba Coffee''' ([[Kinyarwanda language|Kinyarwanda]]: ''Ikawa ya Maraba''; [[French language|French]]: ''Café de Maraba'') is a [[Fairtrade certification|Fairtrade-certified]] [[coffee]] grown in the [[Maraba, Rwanda|Maraba]] area of southern [[Rwanda]].
Maraba's coffee plants are the [[Bourbon coffee|Bourbon variety]] of the ''[[Coffea arabica]]'' species and are grown on fertile [[Volcano#Effects of volcanoes|volcanic soil]]s on high-altitude hills. The fruit is handpicked, mostly during the [[rainy season]] between March and May, and brought to a washing station in Maraba, where the [[coffee bean]]s are extracted and dried. At several stages, the beans are sorted according to quality. The farmers receive credits based on the amount and quality of the beans they provide.
The beans are sold to various roasting companies, with the best beans going to [[Union Coffee Roasters]] of the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Community Coffee]] of the [[United States]]. Rwanda Specialty Coffee Roasters buys from Maraba and sells to the domestic market. Maraba Coffee is also brewed into a [[beer]].
About 2,000 [[smallholding|smallholder]] farmers grow the [[Coffea|coffee plants]] under the ''Abahuzamugambi'' [[cooperative]], founded in 1999. Since 2000, the cooperative has been supported by the [[National University of Rwanda]] (NUR) and the [[Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages|PEARL]]. The cooperative has improved coffee quality and penetrated the specialty market.
==History==
[[Image:MarabaBeanSorting1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Maraba beans are sorted by hand, according to quality.]]
===Origins===
Rwandans have been growing coffee since [[History of Rwanda#Colonial influence|colonial times]], but until 1999 the product was classed below Grade C, making it unsalable on the global markets.<ref>[http://libcom.org/history/1894-1990-a-history-of-rwanda-and-burundi 1894–1990: A history of Rwanda and Burundi] libcom.org (formerly People's history). (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref><ref>[http://www.coffeeresearch.org/market/coffeemarket.htm New York Coffee Exchange Overview] coffeeresearch.org (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> The farmers did not have the means to wash and prepare their coffee cherries to specifications in a timely manner. Buyers paid [[United States dollar|US$]]0.33 per kilogram, a price that kept the farmers poor.<ref>[http://www.vso.org.uk/thecoffeeproject/pdfs/coffee_english.pdf Coffee, Fairtrade & Rwanda] Page 4 (PDF) VSO Rwanda Global Awareness Syndicate.(Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref>
In 1999, 220 coffee growers formed an association in the Maraba district (part of the former [[Butare Province]]) to tackle this problem. Many of these farmers had lost family members during the 1994 genocide, while others had husbands in prison, accused of participating in the killings and due to face trial in the traditional [[gacaca]] courts.<ref name="Genocide">[http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news/opendoc.htm?tbl=NEWS&id=43ea0ced4&page=news Rwandan cooperative shows reconciliation needed to draw refugees home], [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> They named the association ''Abahuzamugambi'', a [[Kinyarwanda language|Kinyarwanda]] word for people who work together to achieve a goal. The farmers hoped that by forming the association, they would increase revenue by selling directly to exporters in [[Kigali]] instead of through an intermediary transport company. They divided their profits and used them to buy tools, fertilisers and seeds to increase yields.<ref name="Maraba Story">[http://www.iia.msu.edu/pearl/maraba-story.htm The Maraba Bourbon Coffee Story...] Partnership to Enhance Agriculture in Rwanda (PEARL) (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref>
In 2000, the mayor of Maraba requested development aid from the [[National University of Rwanda]] (UNR), based in nearby [[Butare]]; the following year UNR helped found the Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages (PEARL). Several entities supported the PEARL project: [[United States Agency for International Development|USAID]], [[Michigan State University]], [[Texas A&M University]] and various Rwandan bodies including UNR, the national agricultural research institute (ISAR) and the [[Kigali Institute of Science, Technology and Management]] (KIST). PEARL started working with ''Abahuzamugambi'' in February 2001 to improve the coffee quality to standards required by the specialty coffee market in the United States.<ref name="Maraba Story"/>
The coffee farmers of Maraba first needed a washing station to remove [[sugar]] from the coating of the coffee bean, under the skin. If this sugar is not removed within 12 hours of picking, the flavour of the coffee is impaired.<ref name="VSO p8">[http://www.vso.org.uk/thecoffeeproject/pdfs/coffee_english.pdf Coffee, Fairtrade & Rwanda] Page 8 (PDF) VSO Rwanda Global Awareness Syndicate. (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> They built the first station in July 2001 in the Cyarumbo sector, close to the main road, with funding from UNR, the ''Office des Cultures Industrielles du Rwanda'' (OCIR-Café), [[ACDI/VOCA]], and the ''Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda'' (ISAR). The opening was late in the harvest season, so only 200 kilograms (441 lb) of that year's harvest were suitable for washing. However, the results were reasonably good, and the station was upgraded to allow more coffee to be processed in 2002. To bring mineral water from [[Mount Huye]] to the upgraded station, ACDI/VOCA helped fund a pipeline, which opened in March 2002.<ref name="Maraba Story"/>
A new certification system was introduced for the 2002 harvest to ensure that beans brought to the station were of suitable quality. Around half of the ''Abahuzamugambi'' membership attained the certification, which allowed the cooperative to look for serious buyers in the specialty markets of [[Europe]] and [[North America]].<ref name="Maraba Story"/>
===International acceptance===
[[Image:MarabaChute.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Cyarumba washing station]]
PEARL brought a specialty coffee expert to Rwanda, who put them in touch with a seller, [[Louisiana]]-based [[Community Coffee]], to help market Maraba.<ref name ="Cup of Good Hope">[http://web.archive.org/web/20040626185927/http://businessreport.com/pub/21_9/cover/3042-1.html "Cup of Good Hope"] ''The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report'', 7 Jan 2003 issue. Web version retrieved by [[Internet Archive]] from the ''Business Report'' website on [[26 June]] [[2004]]. (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> They sent samples to Louisiana, and in June 2002 a representative from Community visited Maraba. Rwandan president [[Paul Kagame]] was also present, as the government placed great importance on the project.<ref name="Kagame commends">[http://www.gov.rw/government/062802.html "President Kagame commends Maraba Coffee farmers"] ''Government of Rwanda official website'' (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> Community purchased an 18,000 kilogram (40,000 lb) container of Maraba beans at the above-average rate of US$3 per kilogram.<ref name="Kagame commends"/> The beans were transported to Louisiana, where they were [[coffee roasting|roasted]] and blended into one of the company's gourmet coffees. This was the first direct contract between an American roaster and an African coffee cooperative.<ref name ="Cup of Good Hope"/>
[[Comic Relief (charity)|Comic Relief]] also took an interest in Maraba. Their 2001 Red Nose Day campaign had brought in [[pound sterling|£]]55 million for projects in the UK and Africa, some of which they pledged to the ''[[Association des Veuves du Genocide]]'' (AVEGA), an association of widows of the 1994 [[Rwandan Genocide]].<ref>[http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1179541,00.html "Rwanda's genocide could have been prevented. The UN let people die and now it watches as the survivors die"] ''The Observer'' [[28 March]] [[2004]]. (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]]).</ref> The charity discovered that many of the Maraba smallholders were also members of AVEGA and could thus provide funding and support. They contacted [[Union Coffee Roasters]] (UCR), a British roasting company, whose representatives visited Maraba in 2002 with officials from the [[Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International|Fairtrade Labelling Organisation]] (FLO). This group inspected the Maraba site and granted certification, making Maraba Coffee the first Rwandan cooperative to gain Fairtrade status.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unionroasters.com/pastnfuture2.asp |title="Project Past and Future - Quality and Fairtrade" |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050215050609/http://www.unionroasters.com/pastnfuture2.asp |archivedate=2005-02-15}} ''Union Coffee Roasters'' (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> UCR described the coffee as containing "sparkling [[citrus]] flavours complemented by deep, sweet [[chocolate]] notes" and bought all the remaining produce from the 2002 harvest.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unionroasters.com/producer1.asp?id=15 |title=Our World - Abahuzamugambi Bakawa Co-operative |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050211211018/http://www.unionroasters.com/producer1.asp?id=15 |archivedate=2005-02-11}} ''Union Coffee Roasters'' (Accessed [[27 September]] [[2006]])</ref><ref name="Maraba Story"/>
[[Image:MarabaTechCentre.jpg|thumb|right|175px|The quality laboratory in Kizi, Maraba]]
UCR distributed its Maraba Coffee in early 2003 via [[Sainsbury's]] [[supermarket]]s,<ref>[http://www.developments.org.uk/articles/rwandan-coffee-hits-sainsburys/ Rwandan coffee hits Sainsbury's] ''Developments'', the [[DFID]] International Development Magazine, Issue 25. (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> which sold the product in all 350 of its stores in the run up to that year's Red Nose Day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unionroasters.com/pastnfuture3.asp |title=Project Past and Future - Return to Rwanda |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050215105622/http://www.unionroasters.com/pastnfuture3.asp |archivedate=2005-02-15}} ''Union Coffee Roasters'' (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> In 2003, the ''Abahuzamugambi'' Cooperative made US$35,000 in net profits. Of this, 70% was divided among the farmers at US$0.75 per kilogram provided, an amount more than three times that paid to other coffee growers in Rwanda and sufficient to pay for health care and education services which were not previously affordable.<ref name="PEARL Info">[http://www.marabacoffee.org/MarabaFacts.html Maraba Coffee - Some facts] - ''MarabaCoffee.org website''. (Accessed [[19 September]] [[2006]])</ref> The remaining 30% was invested back into the cooperative and spent on buying [[calcium carbonate]],<ref name="Maraba Story"/> an [[agricultural lime]] used to reduce [[acid]]ity in the soil caused by run off of minerals during rainfall.<ref>[http://www.ineedcoffee.com/04/lime/ Significance of Lime Application in Coffee Plantations] [[INeedCoffee]]. (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref>
===Recent years: independence and coffee beer===
Beginning in 2003, PEARL deemed the operation self-sufficient and reduced financial support for the ''Abahuzamugambi'' Cooperative. The cooperative provided its growers with loans that helped improve living standards and allowed for livestock investments, affordable medical insurance, and education. A cooperative bank was opened in the village in March, enabling farmers to maintain and manage their own funds locally, rather than having to trek the long distance to [[Butare]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unionroasters.com/hope.asp |title="Project Past and Future - Hope for a better future" |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050213210230/http://www.unionroasters.com/hope.asp |archivedate=2005-02-13}} ''Union Coffee Roasters''. (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref>
In late 2004, [[London]]-based [[Meantime Brewing]] began offering a coffee [[beer]] made out of beans grown in Maraba.<ref name="Coffee Beer">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4073075.stm Rwandan coffee used to make beer] ''BBC News'', [[8 December]] [[2004]]. (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> The drink is intended as an alcoholic iced [[cappucino]] or [[digestif]]. The head brewer tasted coffees from around the world but decided that the hints of [[vanilla]] and [[chocolate]] in Maraba Coffee made it more suitable than the [[nut (fruit)|nut]]ty and [[bitter]] coffees from South America. The original beer had an [[alcohol by volume|alcohol content]] of 4% and the same [[caffeine]] content as coffee, and was described as having a "silky, velvety character".<ref name="Coffee Beer"/> It is sold in larger branches of Sainsbury's and in some pubs and clubs. The beverage was one of only two Fairtrade beers available on the UK market until 2006,<ref>[http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/documents/retail_beer_ALE_001.pdf Fairtrade certified products: Beer and Ale] (PDF) ''The Fairtrade Foundation'' (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> when a reduction in the proportion of coffee and an increased alcohol content (now 6%) cost it its Fairtrade status. It is still made from Maraba beans.<ref>[http://www.meantimebrewing.com/coffee.html Gold Medal Coffee Beer] ''Meantime Brewing'' (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> It is the only coffee beer available in the [[British Isles]],<ref name="Coffee Beer"/> and it won the Gold medal for the coffee-flavoured beer category at the 2006 Beer World Cup.<ref>[http://www.beertown.org/events/wbc/winners_list/winners_2006.html 2006 Brewers Association World Beer Cup Winners] ''Brewers Association''. (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref>
[[Image:MarabaTeleCentre.jpg|thumb|right|180px|People crowd around computers in the new telecentre]]
In 2006, the [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[Minister for International Development Cooperation (Sweden)|Minister for Development Co-operation]] and Deputy [[Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]], [[Carin Jamtin]], visited Maraba to extend cooperation between Sweden and Rwanda and expose Maraba Coffee to the Swedish specialty market.<ref>"Swedish Minister Praises Maraba Coffee Growers" ''[[The New Times]]'', Kigali, [[10 May]] [[2006]]. [http://www.rwandagateway.org/article.php3?id_article=1858 Reproduced at Rwanda Development Gateway]. (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]]).</ref> In July 2006, a [[telecentre]] was opened in Maraba under the coordination of PEARL. USAID, NUR and [[Washington State University]] (WSU) Extension's [[Center to Bridge the Digital Divide]] (CBDD) provided funding and resources. Three WSU students spent six weeks in Rwanda helping to set up the centre and train the local staff, who now operate it.<ref>[http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=6120 "Maraba Coffee Growers Get US$15,000 Tele-Center"] (PDF) ''[[The New Times]]'', Kigali, [[18 July]] [[2006]]. (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]]).</ref>
==Geography and climate==
[[Image:Rwanda-Maraba.png|left|100px|thumb|Approximate location of Maraba, Rwanda]]
Maraba coffee is grown in the south of Rwanda at coordinates {{coor dm|2|35|S|29|40|E|scale:100000}}, roughly 12 kilometres (7 mi) from [[Butare]] and 150 kilometres (93 mi) from the capital, [[Kigali]]. The project began in the Maraba District of [[Butare Province]], but these entities were replaced under local government organisation in 2006,<ref>[http://www.statoids.com/urw.html Provinces of Rwanda] ''Statoids.com'' (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> and the area is now part of Huye District in the [[South Province, Rwanda|South Province]]. The area is very hilly, due to its proximity to the [[Western Rift Valley]] and the montane [[Nyungwe Forest]], and features rich volcanic soils.<ref name="Packet label">Information from [[:Image:MarabaCoffeeLabel.jpg|label on the back of the coffee packet]]</ref> The coffee is grown at altitudes between 1,700 and 2,100 metres (5,577–6,889 ft) above sea level,<ref name="Packet label"/> often on steep hillsides with [[terrace (agriculture)|terrace farming]]. The area experiences an average of 115 centimetres (45 in) of rainfall annually.<ref>[http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Rwanda-CLIMATE.html Rwanda Climate] ''Nation's Encyclopedia'' (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> The majority of this falls during the rainy season of March to May,<ref name="Major rains">[http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/rw.htm Rwanda map and information page] ''WorldAtlas.com'' (Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> the major coffee harvesting season. The high altitude lowers the temperature slightly to an average of about 20 [[Celsius|°C]] (68 [[Fahrenheit|°F]]). There is little seasonal variation.
==Production cycle==
[[Image:Coffee1.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Coffee cherries]]
The main [[Coffee processing#Picking|harvesting]] season for coffee in Rwanda is during the major rainy season,<ref name="VSO p8"/> running from March to the end of May.<ref name="Major rains"/> At harvest time, farmers spend most of the day picking cherries by hand. In the evening, they carry them in traditional baskets woven from banana leaves to the washing station, which may be several hours away.<ref name="VSO p8"/> Technicians hand-sort the beans to pick out the best cherries, those with a deep red colour, and return the remainder to the grower to be sold on to markets outside the Maraba process at a lower price. The technicians pay the grower US$0.10 per kilogram. This money accumulates, and the association pays it each fortnight into farmers' bank accounts.<ref name="VSO p8"/>
[[Image:MarabaHoldingTanks.jpg|thumb|left|150px|The holding tanks]]
The technicians start the [[Coffee processing#Wet process|washing process]] immediately, since delay can cause [[fermentation (food)|fermentation]] of the sugary coating surrounding the bean and ruination of the coffee flavour.<ref name="VSO p9">[http://www.vso.org.uk/thecoffeeproject/pdfs/coffee_english.pdf Coffee, Fairtrade & Rwanda] Page 9 (PDF) VSO Rwanda Global Awareness Syndicate.(Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> The beans are first thrown into a deep tank. The best cherries sink to the bottom and pass through a machine that removes their skin. The technicians remove any floating cherries and process them in the same way as the others for the cooperative to sell on the domestic market for less than specialty-coffee price. The beans are fed through one of the cooperative's three de-skinning and selection machines to remove their skins and most of the sugary coating before running the individual beans through a vibrating [[colander]]. The colander separates the very highest quality Grade A beans from those labeled Grade B; the two grades are sent separately down the hill in a water chute with a 1% gradient.<ref name="VSO p9"/> This process allows for further separation of beans based on quality, with around 15 tanks available at the bottom for capture of the different types. The beans are kept submerged, two days for the best and 15–20 hours for the lesser beans, which causes a small amount of fermentation to convert the remainder of the sugar without significantly impairing the flavour.<ref name="VSO p9"/>
[[Image:MarabaDeskinningMachines.jpg|thumb|left|90px|Deskinning machines]]
[[Image:MarabaCoffeeDryingRacks.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Washed beans drying on racks]]
The technicians wash the beans several times to remove the remains of the skin and coating and put them out on shaded racks to dry.<ref name="VSO p9"/> Cooperative employees turn the beans regularly as technicians spot and remove bad beans. A longer drying process of up to two weeks in the sun follows (with provision for quick covering in the event of rain), again with constant turning. This last process reduces the water content of the bean from 40% to 12%.<ref name="VSO p9"/>
The technicians then move the beans to the technical centre in nearby Kizi. Certain machines, housed in a warehouse up the side of the hill, remove the parchment skins from the beans.<ref name="VSO p10">[http://www.vso.org.uk/thecoffeeproject/pdfs/coffee_english.pdf Coffee, Fairtrade & Rwanda] Page 10 (PDF) VSO Rwanda Global Awareness Syndicate.(Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> Employees take the beans into the adjacent laboratory for the final quality control process – hand sorting – which is carried out by several experienced women.<ref name="VSO p11">[http://www.vso.org.uk/thecoffeeproject/pdfs/coffee_english.pdf Coffee, Fairtrade & Rwanda] Page 11 (PDF) VSO Rwanda Global Awareness Syndicate.(Accessed [[21 September]] [[2006]])</ref> The beans are bagged and labeled according to their quality, and stored in the compound's warehouse to await sale.
==Products and customers==
As of 2006, Maraba produces 80 [[short ton]]s (73,000 kg) of export-quality coffee per year, of which 40 tons go to roasters and sellers in the United Kingdom and 40 tons to the United States.<ref name="PEARL Info"/>
The coffee appears in the following products:
* Maraba Bourbon coffee, produced by Union Coffee for Sainsbury's and other UK-based outlets.<ref name="PEARL Info"/>
* "New Orleans Jazz" Blend and Hotel blend, two Community Coffee brands containing a blend of Maraba and other coffees. As of 2006, Community are considering launching Maraba as a single origin brand.<ref name="PEARL Info"/>
* Café de Maraba, the brand produced by Rwanda Roasters and sold in upmarket shops in Rwanda, including all [[Total S.A.|Total]] petrol stations and the [[Intercontinental Hotel]]. It is the most expensive coffee generally available in the country.<ref name="PEARL Info"/>
* Meantime Coffee, the beer produced by Meantime Breweries of London.
* Intelligentsia have used the coffee in various blends in 2005, due to their shipment arriving late, but intends also to launch it as a single-origin brand in the future.<ref name="PEARL Info"/>
{{clear}}
==See also==
*[[Café Bom Dia]]
*[[Economics of coffee]]
*[[History of coffee]]
*[[International Fairtrade Certification Mark]]
*[[Kuapa Kokoo]]
==References and notes==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.vso.org.uk/thecoffeeproject/booklet.htm Coffee, Fairtrade & Rwanda Booklet]
*[http://www.iia.msu.edu/pearl/index.htm Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages (PEARL)]
*[http://www.pearl.org.rw/abahuzamugambi.html The Abahuzamugambi Coffee Cooperative] (pearl.org.rw)
*[http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/downloads/pdf/abah_profile.pdf Profile of the Abahuzamugambi Coffee Farmers’ Co-operative, Rwanda] (fairtrade.org.uk)
*[http://peopleandplanet.org/fairtrade/about/producerrwanda.php The Abahuzamugambi Co-operative, Rwanda] (peopleandplanet.org)
{{featured article}}
[[Category:Economy of Rwanda]]
[[Category:Coffee]]
[[Category:Alternative trading organizations]]
[[fr:Café de Maraba]]