Rwanda Rwamatamu Peaberry

Back for the second year running and tasting better than ever. We met Bernice and Luke of Rwamatamu Coffee at Rounton Coffee’s cafe in Middlesborough in 2022, tasting their family’s beautiful coffees.

Peaberries occur as a result of a natural mutation, or defect, inside a coffee cherry, where one ovule fails to pollinate. This results in extra space for the single developing seed. Within this space, a larger and rounder seed grows inside. This is a peaberry.  It’s sometimes believed that because the single bean of a peaberry does not need to share nutrients between two separated beans, it has a superior flavour profile.

Rwamatamu coffee farm and washing station sits atop rich volcanic soil, at 1600 to 2000 meters above sea level, within the Western province of Rwanda. The estate is located near the picturesque rolling hills that flank Lake Kivu, in a region that provides a tropical highland climate with an average temperature of 14 to 24 degrees celsius, along with regular rainfall. This makes the Arabica trees flourish, producing a dense, hard bean come harvesting season, which runs from January through to March.

As a family run business, Rwamatamu strives to bring a positive social and economic impact to the Western Province, something which is achieved by committing to the regular purchase of beans from local cooperatives and small holders. They also take care to invest in the growth of employees, 80% of whom are women. In fact, Rwamatamu has its very own women produced lots, as they quote women as ‘the backbone of our society’.

Rwamatamu was founded in 2015 by husband and wife Rutaganda Gaston and Mukantwaza Laetitia as they looked for a means to support their family.

Growing up, Gaston and Laeticia’s children all had a hand in the operations of the estate. Their daughter Marie Bernice in particular took to jobs such as translating negotiations, creating educational materials, and managing marketing documents. The family is now lining things up for Bernice to take over operations of the estate as her parents retire. Bernice and her husband Luke plan to follow in Gaston and Laeticia’s footsteps, building on the already strong foundation of Rwamatamu by expanding upon its core values of community, integrity, and sustainability.