Coffee.

The Izuba washing station is set close to a nearby river, providing a vital and regular freshwater source for coffee processing. Kigeri, Ryamukona and Mugoyi are three hills surrounding the Izuba washing station where the coffees are collected or delivered from.

Once cherries are received, they are hand-picked and floated to ensure only those of the best quality continue to the processing stage. These cherries are placed into a deep cleaned fermentation tank, which is hermetically sealed. Fresh cool water is then poured on top of sealed coffee. The seal created by the water pressing onto the sheeting creates a vacuum effect on the coffee below, creating an anoxic environment for fermentation to begin, which lasts for between 48 and 72 hours. 

The water and sheet act as not only a sealant, but a heat exchange, allowing the heat build up to transfer to the water, which evaporates away. A stabilised temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius ensures that the cherry doesn’t over ferment. This temperature is regularly monitored, and if it falls too low for fermentation to continue, hot water is added to the water pillow, to provide warmth to the fermenting coffee underneath.

Once the fermentation is complete, the water is drained, and the sheet is removed. The now fermented coffee is rinsed and drained of all residual liquid. The coffee is then sun dried on raised beds for between 25 and 30 days.