Sholi

The Abateraninkunga ba Sholi (“Sholi”) Cooperative, meaning “Mutual Assistance,” is located in Muhanga, Rwanda. Established in 2008, the Cooperative’s name speaks to its members working together to improve both their coffee and the greater community. Sholi was born out of a women’s association called “Kundwa”, which means “love” in Kinyarwanda. Today, nearly half of Sholi’s members are women, including two of the five board members.

In 2016, Sholi received a grant to build both a community center and a regional health center to serve members and residents. With the nearest large health facility being over 18 km away on poor roads, the community center provides blood tests and treatment for malaria, parasites, respiratory infections, and basic first aid. Betty, the head nurse, along with the other four staff members, are hoping to run a nutrition and cooking program to combat early childhood malnutrition.

For natural process coffees, Sholi selects and identifies the highest-quality cherries that arrive at the central washing station. The cherries are sorted, separated by density, and moved to the drying tables. After three or four days, the dried cherries are covered for 24-30 hours to develop flavor. The cherries are monitored and continue to dry up to 30-35 days, depending on the weather.

This Rwanda Sholi natural-process coffee comes from the Muhanga region, produced by the Abateraninkunga ba Sholi Cooperative and roasted by Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. Natural-processed coffees tend to showcase fuller body and pronounced fruit-forward character, with the fermentation occurring while the fruit remains intact around the bean. This processing method, detailed in our processing guide, can yield distinctive flavor complexity when executed with care.

The Sholi cooperative represents direct-trade sourcing from Rwanda's coffee-producing communities. To explore how the tasting notes in this coffee might connect to broader sensory categories, consult our flavor wheel. Learn more about Bird Rock Coffee Roasters and their approach to single-origin selection.