"CokO Creator" Rwanda ~ FTO Honey

TWONGERE KAWA COKO HONEY
 
We received this Rwanda Fair Trade Organic Coffee From The Northern Province, Gakenke District, Coko Sector, Mbizi Cell.
Thérèse Nyrangwabije is the president of this cooperative where 134 producers with 96 of them being women owend are working with Gihanga and the Women's Coffee Association to bring this coffee to you!  
 
A dear friend to Cute Coffee named Daniel  introduced us to Kevin Nkunzimana Jean de Dieu of Gihanga Coffee in Rwanda.  It is so beautiful how coffee brought them together years ago and  now to you.  We spoke on the phone for hours after spending over an hour just trying to get good reception for us all.  We learned that Kevin has been in coffee for 15 years from all aspects of this lovely fruit.  He has done agronomy {this is the science and technology of producing and using plants in agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, and land restoration}, processing, marketing, agriculture/farming, and has managed cooperatives for 8 of those years. 
 
In December of 2018 Kevin decided to launch Gihanga Coffee with love to Building Equitable and Sustainable Value Chains.  Kevin said, "Gihanga is based on farmers needs.  How can we promote the farmers?  How can the profits get back to the farmers?"  As you drink this coffee you can say Amen to Gihanga!  They have achieved the dream!  They have helped these farms move into organic practices with one way being through providing manures to fertilize the coffees.  They have helped the farmers pay health insurance.  Gihanga gives 50% of the profits back to the farmers.  To top it all off Kevin is excited to say, "We are bringing Rwanda BACK TOGETHER!"  Soooooooo many people in Rwanda have suffered due to genocide.  It just so happens a lot of the farmers are women because of genocide.  Their husbands were killed or in prison.  Kevin said some women were once upon a time not speaking to each other because of what their husbands did to one another.  Kevin was persistent and said the women have to work together so they can settle their differences and help each other succeed.  Twice a week women from different provinces are working together at the washing stations and finally getting a chance to talk to each about what happened and how what happened between their husbands has nothing to do with them.  This has led to some tremendous healing and beautiful friendships to grow.  Rwanda is indeed coming back together!
 
We asked, "Why the name Gihanga?"
Gihanga ("Creator", "Founder") is a Rwandan cultural hero described in oral histories as an ancient  king popularly credited with establishing the ancient Kingdom of Rwanda.  Oral legends relate that Gihanga introduced foundational elements of the African Great Lakes civilization, including fire, cattle, metalworking, hunting, woodworking and pottery.  He is described as possessing talents in leadership, technology and religion.  It is said he ruled Rwanda from his palace in the forest of Buhanga.  So we have dedicated our coffee to Gihanga. 
 
~Words shared with us from Gihanga Coffee
 
What's up with this Twongere Kawa Coko that was singing in our cup?  We had to film this moment becuase we never heard a coffee sing.  See our instagram for proof that everything is indeed alive.
 
Gihanga also shared with us that Twongere Kawa Coko may be very small, but it should not be underestimated.  The cooperative’s President, Thérèse, is very proud to say that it has a majority of female members. There have been impressive improvements in infrastructure over the past year, including a new office and parchment store. The high altitude here and care taken over post-harvest processing has led to consistently high cupping scores.  The old coffee store is now being used for women’s handicraft and sewing classes to help women earn an extra income outside the coffee season.  I set up the cooperative to help local women, and even today, we have a majority of female members here.  In Rwanda, it’s the women who are most involved in their households – so when you help them, you help their whole family. 
~Thérèse Nyrangwabije
 
Let us #firstsip to this! 
 
Here you have 12oz / 340g Bag of freshly roasted "CokO Creator" from Rwanda & Custom Cute Coffee Sticker.  This sticker is made designed by BiankA in collaboration with her high school friend who owns Sticker Ninja.  A fabulous sticker company up in Portland, Oregon.  Please share your love with them anytime you have sticker needs.  { https://www.stickerninja.com/ }. This sticker is placed on each  bag with doublesided tape so that you can take it off and put it anywhere you need a little Swag! Git it!  FYI-This sticker is designed to look like a Zebra because Gihanga Coffee whom helped make this coffee happen has a logo of a Zebra with a Sun around it's head :)
 
VARIETY : Red Bourbon 
ELEVATION : 1800–2200m 
SOIL TYPE : Sandy clay
SHIPMENT TIME : May to December 
QUALITY AND THE CUP : Lemon, apple, rose, melon. 
CERTIFICATION : Fair trade Organic (FTO)
REGION : Northern province
District : Gakenke 
Sector : Coko  
FOUNDED : 2009
PRODUCERS : 134 (96 female)
HARVEST TIME :February to June
 
TASTING NOTES of Dark Chocolate, Black Cherry, Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Grape, Watermelon