Kivubelt Coffee
Kivubelt was established in 2011 by Furaha Umwizey, after returning to Rwanda with a master’s degree in economics from Switzerland. Born and raised in Rwanda, Umwizey’s goal with Kivubelt is to create a model coffee plantation, as sustainable in agriculture as it is impactful in local employment and empowerment.
Kivubelt began with the acquisition of 200 scattered acres of farmland in Gihombo, a community in Rwanda’s Nyamasheke district that runs along the central shoreline of Lake Kivu. Under Umwizey’s leadership, Kivubelt has planted 90,000 coffee trees on their estates, which now employ more than 400 people during harvest months and is a kind of coffee vocational school for local smallholders interested in improving their farming.
“People's Farm” Coffees
After establishing their own estates, Kivubelt acquired two washing stations in the immediate area, Murundo CWS and Jarama CWS. Combined, these 2 stations service more than 500 smallholders coffee farmers in the region. Kivubelt offers quality premiums and training programs for participating farming families. Smallholder coffee processed at the washing stations has come to be known as “People's Farm” coffee, to acknowledge the teamwork required of smallholders and processors who, when acting together, can have the same commanding presence as a large single estate.