Rwanda
Gakenke district/ Coko sector/ Mbilima cell in Akanduga village
Dukundekawa Cooperative, Mbilima washing station
RITE OF SPRING
Easy breezy, like the first warmth of spring: this coffee is floral and smooth with a soft acidity. Juicy blackberry flavors lead into a sweet, chocolatey finish. We love this coffee on pour-over.
This coffee comes from the Gakenke region of Rwanda, grown at 2,000-2,200 masl in hilly, volcanic terrain. It’s fair trade and organic, and had meticulous quality sorting as part of its natural processing method. This lot is a collection from smallholder farmers of the Dukunde Kawa cooperative.
About the Dukunde Kawa Cooperative
This is an innovative cooperative in Rwanda that supports 1,193 smallholder farmers by providing health insurance, long-term savings pension insurance, and investing in their local community. Dukunde Kawa reinvests 50 percent of revenue into community programs, education, microloans and farmers' livelihoods. It also upholds impressive quality standards: farmers receive training in sustainable practices and selective harvesting, and all coffee cherries undergo rigorous quality control at the washing station to guarantee specialty-grade beans.
The Dukunde Kawa cooperative also collaborates with One Acre Fund, a social enterprise that works with smallholder farmers, equipping them with the supplies, training, and market access to help them thrive. This collaboration is a wonderful alignment of farmer expertise, equitable incentives, and high quality standards that make this cooperative successful and competitive on the global market.
About the Harvest Season
This coffee was harvested in 2024 from the steep hillsides of Rwanda. While the region had favorable amounts of rain and sun that made for a high yield, there were still production challenges. The season arrived a little later than usual, with a sudden surge in ripe coffee cherries, which strained labor availability to pick cherries on time. Post-harvest, there were logistical snags, including foggy weather and treacherous, muddy roads, escalating transportation costs and delivery delays.
The economic season was also marked by unprecedented volatility in the global coffee markets, squeezing profit margins for producers and cooperatives alike. The Dukunde Kawa Co-op showed their strength in adaptability during this season with creative risk management, transparent communication with farmers, and leaning on long-term partnerships with buyers.
About One Acre Fund
One Acre Fund works with the Dukunde Kawa Co-op to provide access to the inputs that coffee farmers need to create sustainable and productive coffee crops. One Acre Funds puts farmers first in everything they do, helping farmers grow more food, plant more trees, and earn more money from their harvests. One method to boost coffee production is through agroforestry, planting native plants and shade trees among coffee plants to prevent soil erosion, retain water, boost soil health, regulate temperature, as well as providing a long-term crop of timber for the farmer. Last year, farmer members of Dukunde Kawa planted more than 17,000 shade trees as part of this collaboration with One Acre Fund.
One Acre Fund was founded in 2006 and now operates in nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa, working to make sure smallholder farmers have access to high-quality farm inputs, financing, agricultural training and strong markets. Learn more about One Acre Fund at oneacrefund.org.
Artist Statement
We love the dreamy mountain scene that Em Deane Kelley created for the 2025 Rite of Spring coffee label, bursting with color as winter fades to spring. Em has a lot to say about environmental activism, using art as a conversation starter and a way to give 1% for the Planet, donating 1% of her annual sales to environmental organizations.
"Spring feels like a time to approach the world with energy, new ideas, and motivation to play a role in making a change,” says Em. “Life can feel chaotic, but this can be a reminder to look around and enjoy the ride. I hope for this art to serve as a piece of optimism."
Read more about Em on the DOMA Journal!
How To Brew
We use a 1:16 Coffee Brew Ratio, which means for every 1 part of coffee there are 16 parts water. Having a grinder that produces a consistent grind size is pivotal for great coffee, so be sure to use a conical or flat set of burrs. Grinding fresh for each batch of coffee will produce the best tasting results.
.01
Boil water
205-208F for light to medium.195-
200F for dark roasts.
.02
Weigh Coffee
1g of coffee per 16g of water.
.03
Set Filter
Add filter to equipment.
.04
Grind Coffee
Grind coffee and add to filter.
.05
Add Water
Add water in stages.
.06
Remove Filter
Enjoy your coffee!
Choose Coffee
We get it; taste is subjective choosing a coffee is only slightly easier than online dating. We're here to help (on the coffee front). Check out our single-origins and blends, light and dark roasts seasonal brews and more.
Brew Coffee
The motion, the sounds, and smells-really, the whole process is a zen like experience we want you to enjoy as much as we do. Brewing and drinking coffee is fun if you have the right stuff. We're happy to share what we've learned so you can enjoy our coffee the way we do.
Choose Coffee
We get it; taste is subjective choosing a coffee is only slightly easier than online dating. We're here to help (on the coffee front). Check out our single-origins and blends, light and dark roasts seasonal brews and more.
Brew Coffee
The motion, the sounds, and smells-really, the whole process is a zen like experience we want you to enjoy as much as we do. Brewing and drinking coffee is fun if you have the right stuff. We're happy to share what we've learned so you can enjoy our coffee the way we do.
Do Good In The World
When you drink DOMA, your support tracks back to the coffee farmer and forward to doing good for environmental causes, women’s programs, cyclists, and more. Learn more about our community partners. They’re pretty cool.
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