(Photo- Atlas Coffee)
This co-op could be the coolest thing that The Bitter Truth has to offer. Based in central Rwanda, about halfway between Kigali and Lake Kivu, lies Sholi Rwanda. Abateraninkunga ba Sholi or “mutual assistance” was a co-op founded by 30 women in 2008.
Before Sholi’s existence, coffee farming in Rwanda was a fool’s effort. It took tons of work to do correctly, and the price at which it was sold locally made the entire effort not worth it. However, when Sholi stepped in, it completely changed the game.
18 years later, and about a decade’s worth of farming coffee, Sholi is, simply put, a powerhouse. They received their Fairtrade certification in 2015, their Rainforest Alliance certification in 2016, and in 2020, Sholi received their USDA organic certification for their coffees as well.
Like the other co-ops that we receive and roast coffee from, the Sholi co-op did not simply stop at coffee. Since their inception, these women and the members they have acquired pride themselves on not only the traceability, quality, and taste of the coffee they export, but they are working tirelessly to better the community and the people which surround them.
Sholi offers a host of programs focused on the men, women, and children in the region. They offer a food security program for children under 5 years old who have been identified as at-risk for malnutrition. They established and maintain a health center for members of the Sholi community to receive treatment for common illnesses and ailments (as the nearest health center before was 18km away on a rural road). And lastly, Sholi offers a program aimed at integrating the region’s single mothers into the coffee growing community after they have had their child and are back on their feet. Other projects include road health and infrastructure services, environmental task forces, water supply sanitation, coffee quality control, and waste water treatment facilities.
The Sholi co-op is a monster. Growing at lightning speed and bringing its community members along with it. They not only desire to sell their amazing coffee to the world, but they want to leave their community better than they found it, and are succeeding in amazing ways.
The beans Sholi offers deep deep acidity (don’t worry, it sounds scary, but it’s delicious. Just try our Light Roast) bursting with Ruby Red Grapefruit and Blood Orange. The coffee is polished off with notes of mango and dark cherry, and balanced with honey to finish it off.
This coffee is so good (and good for you) that we gave it it’s own bag. Our Light Roast is exclusively made with Sholi’s beans. Cheers!
