The coffee farmers of Maraba first needed a car wash to coat the sugar from the coffee bean to remove under the skin. When these sugars are not removed within 12 hours of harvest, the taste of coffee impaired.They the first station in July 2001 set Cyarumbo sector, near the main road, with financial support from UNR, the Office des Cultures Industrielles du Rwanda Elles (OCIR-Café), ACDI / VOCA, and the Institut des Sciences Agronomiques Rwanda (ISAR). The opening was late in the harvest time, leaving only 200 kg (441 lb) of that this year's harvest suitable for washing. However, the results were very good, and the station was expanded to allow more coffee in 2002 will be processed. In order to bring bottled water from the mountain station to the updated Huye, helped ACDI / VOCA funding of a pipeline, which opened in March 2002.
A new certification system was introduced for the 2002 harvest to ensure that beans brought to the station were of suitable quality. Around half of the Abahuzamugambi membership attained the certification, which allowed the cooperative to look for serious buyers in the specialty markets of Europe and North America.
International acceptance
PEARL brought a specialty coffee expert to Rwanda, where they come into contact with a seller, based on the Louisiana Community coffee on the market Maraba.They samples help to Louisiana, and in June 2002, a representative of the community visited Maraba . Rwandan President Paul Kagame was also present, because the government attached great importance to the project.Community an 18,000 kg (40,000 lb) container of Maraba beans bought at above-average amount of U.S. $ 3 per kilogram.The beans were transported to Louisiana where they are roasted and blended into one of the gourmet coffee business. This was the first direct contract between an American and an African coffee roaster of the cooperative.
