| Country | |
|---|---|
| Continent | |
| Region | Tumba Rulindo |
| Community Name | Cocatu |
| Processing Method | |
| Arrival Date | April 2022 |
| Cupping Notes Upon Arrival | 85 – Milk chocolate, caramel, creamy honey, lemon, orange |
| Elevation | 1800 – 2200 |
| Varietals | Jackson Bourbon |
| Flavor Profile | Chocolate |
| Fresh Filter | Current Crop 4-12 Months |
COCATU is the name of a cooperative and washing station in Tumba, Rulindo, Northern Rwanda. From their start with 20 farmers in 2007 they grew to over 6,000 smallholders by 2015. However, due to the pressures that growth can bring the group found itself in hard times by 2017 when the cooperative officially closed its doors. Having over-extended, the management had not been able to pay members (on time or in full), or invest in basic maintenance (of the washing station, for example).
However, cherries produced by these farmers are impeccable, and the profile in cup irreplicable. So we were excited to hear that a core group of this membership wanted to continue to produce for specialty. We heard this through our long-time partners in the area, a neighboring group called Kinini Coffee, who was engaged the same year (2017) to revitalize the station and membership. The station proved to be beyond repair, but the membership was not. And to this day a core group of 436 families remain committed to the coop, and to quality, delivering cherries daily to be processed at the neighboring Kinini Washing Station. This arrangement saw success right away, with a COCATU via Kinini lot producing Cup of Excellence (87+ point) qualities.
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