Rwanda – Sholi Cooperative

Tasting Notes

Blueberry Bar, Dried Pineapple, Mango, Chocolate

About This Coffee

This coffee comes to us from the Abateraninkunga ba Sholi Cooperative in Rwanda’s Muhanga District, where coffee continues to serve as a foundation for shared progress across the community.

Coffee here grows between 1,800 and 2,000 meters, where cooler mountain conditions help develop the sweetness, fruit character, and clarity Rwanda is known for. In 2015, the cooperative became Fair Trade certified and won a Rwanda Cup of Excellence Award, recognizing the care and intention behind their work.

Producer / Cooperative

Sholi began in 2008 with just 30 women growers who came together around a shared goal: strengthen their local economy through collaboration, careful farming, and mutual support.

The name Abateraninkunga means “mutual assistance,” a reflection of the cooperative’s founding purpose. Today, Sholi includes 334 producers, with 42% of its members being women.

That cooperative spirit remains central to the coffee itself: individual smallholders cultivate their own lots, then bring their cherries to a collectively owned washing station for sorting, processing, and drying.

Processing

This is a Natural / Dry Process coffee.

Ripe cherries are carefully sorted and then sun-dried whole on raised beds at the cooperative’s washing station. Drying the fruit intact helps build deeper sweetness, fuller texture, and the fruit-forward character that makes this lot especially expressive.

The coffee is Red Bourbon, a variety that performs beautifully at Sholi’s high elevations.

Brewing Recommendations

The sweetness and clarity of this Rwanda make it especially expressive as a pour-over or drip coffee, where its blueberry, tropical fruit, and chocolate character can really open up.

It also works beautifully as a French press for a fuller-bodied cup.

For brighter fruit expression, try brewing with water around 200–205°F.

Origin: Muhanga District, Southern Province, Rwanda
Cooperative: Abateraninkunga ba Sholi
Producer Type: Cooperative / Various Smallholders
Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Natural / Dry Process
Drying: Sun-dried on Raised Beds
Elevation: 1,800–2,000 MASL
Fair Trade Certified: Since 2015
Cooperative Size: 334 Producers
Women Producers: 42%
Tasting Notes: Blueberry Bar, Dried Pineapple, Mango, Chocolate

Practice gratitude and drink good coffee.