Geography and climate
Maraba coffee is grown in the south of Rwanda at coordinates 2°35′S 29°40′E / 2.583°S 29.667°E / -2.583; 29.667, roughly 12 kilometres (7 mi) from Butare and 150 kilometres (93 mi) from the capital, Kigali. The project began in the Maraba District of Butare Province, but these entities were replaced under local government organisation in 2006, and the area is now part of Huye District in the Southern Province. The area is very hilly, due to its proximity to the Western Rift Valley and the montane Nyungwe Forest, and features rich volcanic soils.The coffee is grown at altitudes between 1,700 and 2,100 metres (5,577–6,889 ft) above sea level,often on steep hillsides with terrace farming. The area experiences an average of 115 centimetres (45 in) of rainfall annually.The majority of this falls during the rainy season of March to May,the major coffee harvesting season. The high altitude lowers the temperature slightly to an average of about 20 °C (68 °F). There is little seasonal variation.
Production cycle
The main harvesting season for coffee in Rwanda is during the major rainy season,running from March to the end of May.At harvest time, farmers spend most of the day picking cherries by hand. In the evening, they carry them in traditional baskets woven from banana leaves to the washing station, which may be several hours away.Technicians hand-sort the beans to pick out the best cherries, those with a deep red colour, and return the remainder to the grower to be sold on to markets outside the Maraba process at a lower price. The technicians pay the grower US$0.10 per kilogram. This money accumulates, and the association pays it each fortnight into farmers' bank accounts.
