Producer Profiles
Dukunde Kawa Cooperative
Fair Trade Certified™ since 2004, Dukunde Kawa secures a high standard of living for Rwandan farmers by ensuring access to an economically and environmentally sustainable coffee industry. Eighty percent of Dukunde's producers are women.
In February 2005, the Coffee Review gave Dukunde Kawa's coffee a rating of 90 points and recommended their coffee to those "moved by the miracle of mountain gorillas, by the recovery of Rwanda, and by the miraculous pleasure of a delicately lush coffee like this one."
Quotable
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Membership in the cooperative completely changed my financial situation. Before the price was bad and unstable but the moment I sold my cherries for a good price through the cooperative I gained a lot without using as much effort as before. The coffee washing station in our cooperative helps efficiency. I am also a cattle farmer with sheeps and goats and I opened an account at the local bank. Everything is well in my family. I encourage my neighbors to come together and form cooperatives as it is a major factor in improving rural development here. ” Rubabagishi Agustin
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My name is Nyirarubinga Consolee, born in 1961 and mother of six children. I produce 900-1800 kg of cherries annually. Before my membership in the cooperative I put much effort in the preparation of ordinary coffee and sold it to local merchants for hardly anything. At the moment, this is not the case. Now when I harvest cherries I sell them at a good price to our cooperative. I am proud. Thanks to the good price that our cooperative gives me I now have three cows, rabbits and I can easily pay school tuition fees and health benefits for my family. ” Nyirarubinga Consolee
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My name is Nyirarubinga Consolee, born in 1961 and mother of six children. I produce 900-1,800 kg of cherries annually. Before my membership in the cooperative I put much effort in the preparation of ordinary coffee and sold it to local merchants for hardly anything. At the moment, this is not the case. Now when I harvest cherries I sell them at a good price to our cooperative. I am proud. Thanks to the good price that our cooperative gives me I now have three cows, rabbits and I can easily pay school tuition fees and health benefits for my family. ” Nyirarubinga Consolee
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Programs
New Roofs Above Their Heads
Many farmers renovated their homes and now all members’ homes have tile rather than grass roofs.
School and credit program
Dukunde Kawa constructed 2 schools in 2006. Also, the cooperative provides members with long-term credit at no interest.
Financing and Insurance
Each member has been able to buy a farm animal, and many now have health insurance for the first time.