
Farm/Region: Northern Province
Tasting Notes: Brown sugar with lemon curd and red apple
Producer: Victoria Mukamurenzi
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Processing: Washed
As the daughter of farmers, Victoria Mukamurenzi grew up learning how to grow coffee. “I have lived like this since my childhood,” she told us on a recent visit to her farm. “I used to go together with my parents to the coffee fields, and I found that coffee is what made us grow as a family – it was our only source of income.”
As an adult, Victoria continued to grow coffee with her husband, Theobald Habineza. In 2011, the pair joined the Dukunde Kawa Cooperative, which was empowering for their family – they began to earn fair and reliable prices for their coffee, and they received training in agricultural best practices, financial literacy, and gender equality. When several of the female co-op members founded the Rambagirakawa Women’s Alliance that same year, Victoria was one of the first members, and she is now vice president of the group.
Inspired by the co-op’s marketing of women’s coffees, Victoria decided to plant her own coffee plot in 2018. Her first harvest arrived in 2023 at some 200kg of cherry – we were lucky enough to offer it at Market Lane. This volume had tripled by the following year. We deeply admire Victoria’s poise, intelligence and determination, and we’re very proud to share her beautifully sweet and complex coffee. We hope to continue to work with Victoria for many years to come.