Fugi Ikizere
Impressions: vanilla, nectarine, sweet almonds, hazelnut, dried blueberries
Roast degree: medium (2.5/5)
Country: Rwanda
Region: Southern Province
District: Nyaruguru District
Variety: Red bourbon
Process: Washed
Exporter: Baho Coffee
Partner importer: Semilla
Farmers: 60 smallholder women producers
This coffee is a prime example of what we mean when we say our coffee menu is tasty AND impactful!
The Fugi Ikezere is back for a third time in four years. This group is made up of single mothers, many of whom are widowed, and face the difficult task of navigating a Rwandese society that still struggles with much patriarchal discrimination. The Ikizere lots were the highest-paid coffees at the farm gate level, at about 50% over the national average. (see our transparency report)
Supporting those women was important to Baho and Semilla, and we are glad to be able to play our small part by offering you a delicious coffee that truly has an impact for the producers.
A few words from the importer, Semilla:
“Back in 2019, Emmanuel (from Baho) presented to us a handful of lots that were traced back to communities living on specific hills near his washing stations. As this is quite unique for East African coffees, this initiative immediately sparked our interest and kickstarted our discussions on how we could expand and deepen this type of traceability.
As buyers, it’s always exciting to find more information about where coffee is coming from; but additionally, Emmanuel made it very clear that it was helpful to Baho and their producer network as well. By connecting more closely with producers this way, we’re able to ensure we continue to build with them into the future and this motivates these growers to work with Baho, and also inspires growers around them as they see a possibility not only for solid pay for their coffee cherries, but also for recognition and relationships not normally offered to smallholder growers.”
Coffee coming out of Rwanda have their own vibes, but if you are accustomed to drinking more known African origins like Kenya and Ethiopia, you won't be surprised by how good it taste.
The coffee is silky and sweet like vanilla, and the acidity is all stone fruits. In this case, we all tasted something like a nectarine at the roastery.
The sweetness and acidity is enhanced by some dried fruits like blueberries and apricot.
The is also a very nice sweet almond/hazelnut tone in the finish that makes this coffee very well balanced.
The processing is quite time consuming as the coffee is de-pulped by hands. Since this producing groups share a common thread (all the producers are single mothers who are head of family) they decided to all use this ancestral method and use the time to exchange and bound together.
The fermentation is twofold: first, a dry fermentation that last between 8 and 12 hours, and the tank is then filled with water for another 8 to 12 hours. ONce the mucilage has been detached, it's fermented for an extra 10 hours. This last stage helps for uniformity.
The coffee then needs to dry and the first step will be for 48-72h in complete shade. This gives the coffee a chance to dry slowly at first while the team sorts through defective beans once more.
The coffee is then moved to raised beds where it'll dry for 30 to 40 days.
| Method | Dose | Ratio | Time |
| Espresso | 18 g | 2.2:1 | 35-40 sec |
| Espresso with milk | 18g | 2:1 | 36-40 sec |
| Americano | 18 g | 2.3:1 | 30-35 sec |
|
V60/Origami |
23 g | 16.5:1 | 3:45-4:15 min |
|
Chemex & Batch Brew |
40-60 g | 16.5:1 | 4:00-5:30 min |
|
French Press |
18-25 g | 16:1 | 4:00 min steep time |
Washing Station: Fugi
Farmers: 60 women smallholders
Exporter: Baho Coffee
Importer: Semilla Coffee
Price we paid Semilla for the landed coffee in Montreal: 16.75CAD/kg
FOB price: 11.15CAD/kg. This is the price paid by Semilla to Baho for the coffee up until the coffee is securely in the container, ready to depart origin.
Farmagate price, aka the price paid to the farmers for their cherries: 720 Rwandan Francs per kilo of cherries.
As a comparison, the national farmgate price was of 480 Francs. Semilla paid 50% above market price.
By paying farmers more than the local or the global (C) price, you ensure that a strong network of dedicated farmers will deliver tastier and tastier coffees while challenging the coffee status quo of how coffee is usually bought, aka for as cheap as possible.
This ensure better livelihood for producers and better stability though a committed buyers along the chain like Baho, Semilla, Rabbit Hole, and you!
Semilla and Baho worked hard to ensure a level of transparency, traceability and market access that is rare in the country. Not only are the farmers well paid, they can share their coffees with the world because of the work they do. We are very happy to have this coffee on the menu!