Kilimbi

We’ve been buying this coffee for over six years now, and it has become an early-year treat for us. Kilimbi was one of the first washing stations in Rwanda to receive permission to produce honey and natural processed coffees. Previously, the Rwandan government only allowed fully washed coffees as part of its commitment to maintaining consistent quality across the country.

Smallholder farmers transport their harvested cherries across Lake Kivu by boat to sell to the Kilimbi washing station. Lake Kivu, located on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, is one of the largest lakes in Africa. This ancient body of water once drained into the White Nile, which now flows from Uganda to Sudan. Around 10,000 years ago, a volcanic eruption near Lake Kivu blocked its northern outlet, forming the Virunga Mountains and permanently altering the region’s geography.

Lake Kivu is also one of only three lakes in the world known to experience limnic eruptions. This rare natural phenomenon occurs when dissolved carbon dioxide suddenly erupts from the lake’s depths.