Rwanda Kinini
Fruity Profile | Light roast
Tasting Notes: Mango, Caramel, Lime
IT ALL STARTS AT THE COFFEE FARM
Of the 48 smallholder members at Kinini Village cooperative, 85% are women farmers. The coop also runs its own washing station where the coffee fruit is delivered, then transformed into the dried seed that we roast. “Kinini” means, literally, ‘this big thing right here’. It is the name of the collaboration of cooperatives seeking to pool their efforts to improve their coffees.
The founding of the Kinini co-op is a story about dreaming a new future, and the determination to make those dreams reality. The project was founded by Rwandan Jacquie Turner and her business partner, Malcolm Clear, who wanted to find a way to have generational impact on communities without having to continually fundraise money for aid projects.
The project began because Jacquie and Malcolm wanted to start a school for children in Eastern Rwanda ten years ago. Driven by the desire to help the children of the genocide, they made that dream a reality. As they got to know that community, they realized that these children needed much more than just education, and consequently, they lobbied the local government and international donors to support the construction of a local pharmacy, micro-finance credit institution, and other services to support the community that supports these children. What these two have accomplished for that community would be more than enough for any of us to hang our hat on and rest on our laurels, but they were not satisfied. Jacquie wanted to do more to help her fellow Rwandans.
TRACEABILITY
COUNTRY
Rwanda
REGION
Rulindo
IMPORTER
Crop to Cup
VARIETAL
Bourbon
PRODUCER
Kinini Village Cooperative
MILL / WASHING STATION
Kinini Washing Station
PROCESSING
Natural
ALTITUDE
1801 - 2200 meters
DID YOU KNOW
Coffee in Rwanda saw a meteoric rise after Paul Kagame was sworn in as 6th president of Rwanda in 2000. He promised to focus on coffee and leveraged international goodwill to start funding/subsidizing washing stations.
PRICE TRANSPARENCY
$
Price paid by Driftaway
$
Free on Board price
Not available
Farm Gate price
$1.57
Fair Trade price per pound
$
Coffee C-Market price per pound
$0.05
Driftaway's World Coffee Research contribution per pound
WHY DID WE SELECT THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is bananas delicious - we first tasted it at an event that Kenny hosted at our roastery, where he showcased coffees from both Rwanda and Burundi, and several different processes (including anaerobic, honey, and washed). This natural processed coffee was one of the most impressive on the table and got everyone talking. Beyond the incredible quality of the coffee and its very fitting place in the Fruity profile, one of the reasons we selected this coffee is because of Kenny himself. He is transparent about farmer information, especially pricing, and we really appreciate the kinds of conversations he has about farmer livelihoods and sustainable buying practices - check out his Instagram for some great conversations and insights! @higacoffee
AVERAGE CUPPING SCORE
85.75
/100
85.75
SCAA Cupping Score
- x 60 kg
Bags purchased
5 years
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2025)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from May 19 to June 13 in Brooklyn. We use the Loring Kestrel roaster for this profile. We have strict guidelines for each of the coffee profiles, and this roast has to pass the development time ratio test as measured in real-time by the roasting software, Cropster. Once it does, it is approved for production.
QUALITY CONTROL
We perform Quality Control via a process of coffee tasting called cupping on all of our production roasts once a week at our roastery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Each cupping is conducted by Ian T., Anu M., and Suyog M. using standard equipment, and is logged by our Q-certified cupper Ian T. All coffees are evaluated on a scoring scale of 0 to 3.
- 3.0 = exceptional roast - exceeds expectations
- 2.5 = on par with profile - matches expectations
- 2.0 = good roast, but 1 or 2 elements could be improved - needs improvement
- 1.5 or lower = failed - do not ship
PRODUCTION AND SHIPPING
Less than 24 hours after roasting, we bag your coffee in our production facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Our production team is led by Anthony and Torie, and supported by a rotating cast of local artists, musicians and independent professionals.
AT YOUR HOME
Brew this coffee with your favorite home brewer and enjoy the taste of incredible coffee! Here are a few tips on how to make the best coffee on each brewer.
View other posts about how to make better coffee at home on our blog Coffeecademy.
