Rwanda Coffee Now on Sale in the U.S.

The 2010 coffee crop from Rwanda is now on sale and two of the roasters have called out TechnoServe in their marketing efforts.

• Intelligentsia Coffee: Zirikana, Rwanda: Kirezi - Intelligentsia is a high-end coffee roaster that has bought a significant amount of coffee from TechnoServe cooperatives in Rwanda.  The Kirezi cooperative that is highlighted in the coffee's "story" is a new group that received a ~$13K loan to finance a washing station because of the work that I am doing here.

• Peet's Coffee and Tea: Uzuri African Blend - Peet's has been a key buyer of TechnoServe coffee in East Africa for many years and views the Coffee Initiative as a valuable partner in Rwanda and Tanzania.  This year's Uzuri blend has been released and the reviews are pretty solid (check at the bottom of the first link above).  The page above also includes links to a slideshow with another TechnoServe cooperative Abangakarushwa and a video that I've included below.  The employees in the slideshow that do the sorting and drying at coffee wet mills in Rwanda make 500 Rwandan Francs a day (~$0.84), a very good wage in rural areas where cash wages are virtually non-existent.

These types of stories are the best way to explain what the Coffee Initiative is all about...