History & Origins
Huye Mountain Coffee washing station was founded in 2011 by David Rubanzangabo , an agronomist with deep roots in Rwanda’s post-genocide coffee renaissance. Rubanzangabo studied agronomy and began working in rural agricultural development, joining PEARL and later SPREAD—USAID projects aimed at developing the country’s agricultural sectors under the direction of Tim Schilling . In 2010, as the SPREAD program was wrapping up, Rubanzangabo started his own farm and washing station with particular emphasis on quality, having spent years educating coffee producers about quality standards .
After teaching producers about coffee farming for several years, David purchased land near his hometown in the Huye district, planted coffee trees, and built his first washing station. The facility attracted interest from area farmers—many of whom he had previously trained—and in that first season, he produced 50 bags of coffee . Huye Mountain gained international recognition following its feature in the 2014 documentary “A Film About Coffee,” which chronicled Rubanzangabo’s mission to improve coffee quality and farmer livelihoods in the region .
The station emerged from Rwanda’s broader coffee sector reconstruction following the 1994 genocide. After the genocide devastated the country, international aid money poured in for relief efforts, with the coffee sector receiving specific funding to rebuild rural agricultural infrastructure . This transformation accelerated when the industry was privatized in 2001, supported by international development projects like USAID-funded PEARL and SPREAD .
Terroir & Growing Conditions
Huye Mountain sits in Rwanda’s southernmost district, bordering Burundi , within one of the country’s premier coffee-growing micro-regions. Like much of Rwanda—“the land of a thousand hills”—the terrain is mountainous, rugged and exceptionally beautiful, with rich volcanic soils, plentiful sunshine, and tropical rainfall providing exceptional conditions for arabica cultivation . The farmers who deliver to Huye Mountain cultivate their Bourbon variety coffee in verdant mountain highlands between 1,600 and 2,200 meters of elevation , with some sources indicating altitudes reaching up to 2,300 meters .
The high altitude, combined with Rwanda’s rich volcanic soils, contributes to the coffee’s complex flavor profile and outstanding quality . The region receives between 1,500 and 1,600mm of annual rainfall, with ideal temperatures for arabica coffee ranging between 18°C and 22°C . The Huye micro-region was one of the first to produce top specialty coffee in the country , benefiting from conditions where the Bourbon variety particularly excels in the high elevations of Rwanda’s mountains .
The terroir reflects Rwanda’s unique geography as “The Land of 1000 Hills,” where even the capital city of Kigali is spread over very hilly terrain . This challenging topography creates distinct microclimates that contribute to the complexity found in Huye Mountain coffees, with smallholdings typically just a quarter of a hectare in size with around 200 trees, each farm producing roughly only 2 bags of coffee .
Processing & Production
Today, David manages two washing stations that serve over 1,200 farmers in the Huye district , with over 1,330 farmers from the Huye community delivering freshly harvested coffee cherries to 26 collection points . Throughout the harvest season, these cherries are collected daily by truck from the collection stations . The operation has grown substantially since its founding, with production expanding from David’s initial small operation to now buying coffee cherry from over 1,300 producers .
Historically, all coffee at Huye Mountain was washed process, but in 2018 they began experimenting with natural and honey processes . For washed processing, freshly delivered coffee is inspected to ensure only good red and ripe cherries are included, then put into receiving tanks where inferior floaters are removed. The denser, high-quality cherries are pulped in a Penagos disc pulper before entering concrete fermentation tanks for 12 to 15 hours in a dry fermentation process with no extra water added .
The natural process employed at Huye Mountain involves meticulous cherry selection and hand sorting prior to drying, with coffee dried on raised African beds for between 14 and 28 days, depending on the weather, and turned regularly . Throughout harvest, David’s sister Rachel roasts and cups coffees as they come off the drying beds, checking each day’s delivery for quality, cupping 40-60 different samples daily representing day lots of 800-7,000 pounds each . Quality achievements include Cup of Excellence recognition: 2nd place in 2012, and 6th and 11th place with two lots in 2013 .
Cup Profile & Tasting Notes
Huye Mountain produces bright coffee with fine, balanced acidity that bursts with vibrant fruit and floral notes . The washed offerings showcase clarity of flavor with bright notes of orange, apricot, and honey , while natural processed lots deliver sweet acidity of green apple, punchy black currant, and black tea contributing to overall flavor equilibrium . Specific lots exhibit complex characteristics with buttery body, extremely good balance, and notes of jasmine, orange, peach and vanilla .
Natural processed coffees from Huye Mountain are big in body, warming, and full of fruit flavor, incredibly clean with pointed raspberry acidity and subtle cognac booziness, alongside notes of clove, orange and ginger . Natural lots offer tropical fruit and mango, complemented by grape and hard candy sweetness , with lighter roasts highlighting vibrant fruit notes and floral acidity, while darker roasts emphasize creamy body and spicy chocolate undertones .
The taste profile shows endemic high-altitude Rwandan coffee characteristics with clear cherry flavor, followed by dark chocolate and caramel aftertaste, with more floral tones compared to other Rwandan beans, typical of high-altitude coffees . The coffee consists mostly of the coveted Bourbon variety and is produced anywhere from 1,600 to 2,200 meters , creating coffee from this area with all the potential to be amazing . Professional tasting notes describe the coffee as “gently bright, very sweet Rwanda cup, simultaneously zesty and lush” .