“Bringing ideas together”

Dusangirijambo means “bringing ideas together”, to promote farmer and community development. This is a very well-established, well-organised cooperative, with a real sense of a big community united around the cooperative and the coffee.

  • Region: Kayanza
  • Founded: 2007
  • Producers: 1300, including 442 women
  • Certifications: Fairtrade, UTZ and Rainforest Alliance
  • Varieties: Bourbon
  • Soil type: Sandy clay
  • Harvest time: March to June
  • Shipment time: August-November. Exported by COCOCA
  • Elevation: 1800-1950m
  • Post-harvest process: Fully-washed at central washing station (owned by the coop) with new pulping machine; double fermentation (dry for 24 hours and humid for 24 hours), soaked for 6-12 hours; dried on raised beds (100 with more being built); parchment stored in ventilated warehouse (50MT capacity); coffee pulp distributed to farmers for compost. Milled at Horamama, Kayanza.
  • Quality and the cup: Fully Washed Arabica Screen 15+. Spice, lemon, tea, melon, apple, bright

Summary

Farmers in the Kayanza region used to travel 20km, 4 hours on foot, to sell their coffee. Now there are collection points at the cooperative, and all the money from the sales (except for minimal administration costs) go directly back to the farmers. They are focussed on increasing productivity, understanding the value chain and improving coffee quality.

With the Fairtrade premium, the cooperative has built a bridge linking the Nyangwe and Maruri hills and is maintaining the road that links the two hills. It used to be very difficult for the inhabitants of Maruri to access the washing station. Previously they had to cross the river on foot and make the very steep climb from the riverbank to the hill. It was also very difficult for them to access the health centre.