RWANDA Nyakizu Filter

Fugi washing station is named after the hill upon which it stands. The station is located at 1,550 meters above sea level. Farmers in Rwanda have small coffee plots, usually around 250 trees. Most coffee trees are intercropped with food crops like maize and potatoes. Despite their small size, for many, coffee remains the main cash crop and their biggest source of income throughout the year.

During the harvest season, cherry is selectively handpicked by farmers and their families. Farmers deliver their cherry to the station or a centrally located collection site on foot or by bicycle.
Fugi encourages farmers to sort through their cherry, removing any unripe, damaged or overripe cherry before selling their cherry to the station. At Fugi, staff sort cherry by hand and then float the cherry to check for density. The station accepts cherry that passes both visual hand sorting and floating. On average, Fugi has 120 seasonal workers who oversee and inspect cherry from intake to pulping to drying and beyond. Sorting work consumes over 70% of seasonal labor, but Rusatira knows it is worth it.