Westrock Coffee

Turengerekawa Cooperative and the Single Farmer

October 4th, 2011  |  Published in Blog

Rwanda Trading Company’s desire is to use our experience in American business to directly contribute to the social and economic growth of Rwanda. Coffee affects more Rwandans’ lives than any other export. More than 500,000 farmers produce the country’s coffee crop, and many others help process and prepare the commodity for export. As a for-profit Rwandan coffee exporter, we seek to create a thriving, competitive coffee business that will in turn change the lives of the families that rely on coffee as a source of income. Our work with The Turengerekawa Cooperative is the latest example of our ongoing efforts in Rwanda.

 Turengerekawa Cooperative and the Single Farmer

“Turengerekawa” is a Kinyarwanda  word meaning  “let’s protect coffee.” Turengerekawa Cooperative was formed in 2007. The co-op is made up of 30 members, all with the aim of growing and selling coffee cherries to neighboring wet mills.  In Rwanda you will find a single farmer owns about 500 to 700 trees. The most dominant subsistence farming type is coffee growing, and as the co-op learned, it is a difficult process to carry out.  As the overall goal of the co-op was to improve the country’s welfare, they redirected their energies toward owning their own wet mill. Ownership would allow them to produce, treat, and sell their own coffee. As a result, they could provide a great deal of help to farmers by processing coffee on their behalf.

In 2008 the members of the co-op sought to make their vision a reality.  With the help of the government they were able to get a site to build the station as well as a machine for coffee processing. However, due to a lack of funds, in 2009 Turengerekawa had to seek help from Rwanda Rural Development bank. This was a disappointment as their efforts proved to be in vain, leading the co-op to more strain and resistance in the coffee processing business.  The struggle to find funding continued in 2010, when finally another cooperative in the same district provided help that allowed them to operate for the rest of the year’s coffee season. By 2011 the co-op was in dire need of monetary support and out of prospective resources until they began to work with Rwanda Trading Company.  With RTC’s help, the co-op was able to process 395,000 pounds of cherries and 52,000 pounds specialty grade green coffee.  RTC pre-financed the co-op’s production, affording them the ability to purchase cherries and cover the expenses needed to produce coffee at this considerable volume. RTC purchased their crop’s entire production, even including off grades. RTC’s ability to provide favorable prices allowed the co-op to make profits of about $22,000 after paying back all loans and other expenses, which was enough to make a positive impact on the welfare of many individuals.

As RTC was able to benefit the co-op, so the co-op was able to benefit the farmer. Vestine Nyirahabimana is a Rwandan farmer with five children. She has enjoyed working with the co-op since the station started, and says her life has improved, as she’s been able to pay for her children’s school dues. Having the rare luxury of knowing the co-op will purchase her cherries at a profitable price has allowed her to grow her plantation considerably. As her immediate needs are now taken care of, Vestine is excitedly making plans for the future.

Pelagie Nyirahabimana is another example of a married farmer with children. She has been a coffee farmer for 11 years. Pelagie says that in the past she has been interested in growing other crops due to low earnings as a coffee farmer. She stated that this year was quite an impressive change due to the much-improved cherry price RTC was able to offer. As a result, she was able to build a new house, pay school dues for her children, and afford mutual health insurance.

Rwanda Trading Company’s support for the co-op provided us the opportunity to do something directly in sync with our goals as a company. By providing financial support to Turengerekawa, RTC helped nurture and develop the economy’s greatest export, and therefore contribute to the welfare of the country and their people.

 

Pictured Above: Parchment Stock Storage facility

Left to right: Munyangeyo Theobard (Vice-President), Mungwarakarama Epaphrodite (President), Musabyimana Triminian (Advisor) and Nzisabira Alphonse (Secretary).

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Westrock’s New Home!

June 20th, 2011  |  Published in Blog

Welcome to the new online home of Westrock Coffee.

Here, you can see the story behind our company, read about our commitment to Rwanda and learn about the quality process that makes our coffee special.

We invite you to look around, and find out how we can serve you.  Whether you’re looking for a cup of coffee or your own line of private-label roasts, we are your one-stop coffee shop.

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