Our Coffee

Built in 2017, Shyira (pronounced Sheer-rah) is a station situated at 2000 MASL in the Nyabihu district of Rwanda’s Western Province and owned by Muraho Trading Co. – a 100% Rwandan-owned business established in 2016. A micro mill from inception, it helped pave the way for the proliferation of small mills across Rwanda. At high elevation, the unique terroir and processing methods used here results in a cup that is more refined, nuanced, and complex than many others in Rwanda. It also has a river running through the land of the station which serves as a hydro power source.

Once cherries are received, they are hand-picked and floated to ensure only those of the best quality proceed onto the next stage. Each of them is placed into a deep container and submerged completely in water to select over the cherries, which is then submerged with cool water.

The seal created by the water pressing onto the floating creates a vacuum effect which, in turn, produces an anaerobic environment for fermentation to occur in the cherries—building up the acids and esters that are so valued. Cherries are maintained under this condition for 120 hours at a steadily controlled temperature, generally between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius, which ensures that the fermentation is consistent. This temperature is regularly monitored to allow for precise measurement. After this period the cherries are dried in their whole form on raised beds under the sun.

After the fermentation is complete, what remains is stored in cherry for 5 weeks. The cherries are dried in cherry on raised beds for about 4 to 6 weeks. The beds are rotated three times per day to ensure circulation of airflow, assisted by the cherry being moved every 30 minutes of duration of the day to maintain evenness of the drying.