Brisbane-based specialty coffee roaster Di Bella Coffee is spearheading positive change within the global coffee industry by supporting sustainable farms and coffee growing communities, including the Shyira Coffee Washing Station (CWS) in Rwanda.

The brand recently launched its 2018 Reserve Limited Edition, a blend from the Shyira CWS in Rwanda and the Camocim Estate in Brazil.

Di Bella Coffee General Manager Michael Drummond said these farms were selected for their focus on long term sustainability and for creating opportunities for local farming communities, practices he believes will drive continued viability and relevance for the coffee industry.

“Each year we spend a lot of time travelling the world, sourcing and tasting coffee for our premium products, and recently we have been specifically searching for coffee that not only tastes amazing, but also reflects the positive change we believe the coffee industry is undergoing,” Michael said.

“Not only do we want to be part of that change, we want to be seen as driving it by continuing to uncover and support environmentally and socially conscious coffee producing communities such as Shyira.”

Founded in 2017 by Muraho Trading Company (MTCo.) and situated 2000 metres above sea level, Shyira CWS is the highest known coffee growing region in Rwanda. The washing station was built with the intention of helping local farmers achieve better prices for their crops and find new markets for their coffees.

Richard Corney, Director of Raw Material – MTCo.’s distribution and quality assurance partner, said in the year the station has been running, it has created a lot of much needed work for the surrounding community.

“For the women who make up 75% of workers, this employment constitutes a second income for the home, which has increased their families’ access to quality food and has improved living conditions,” Richard said.

“Local youth were given jobs during the construction stage and are called upon during the coffee harvest; and we have supplied farmers with the knowledge, equipment, and training of better agricultural practices to generate better yields from their trees.”

The backing and financial support of Di Bella Coffee allows Richard and his team to ensure that coffee is purchased in a manner that sees coffee producers profit, while guaranteeing stable incomes with transparency.

“It means a lot for us to be working with a company like Di Bella,” Richard said. “If companies are truly committed to transitioning their green purchasing from traditional commodity models, to transparent, producer-impact driven buying, they will have a significant impact on the lives of coffee producers.”

“We hope other companies, big, small, old and new, can follow this example.”

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