Gisheke Rwanda

Gisheke is located in Nyamasheke District, and overlooks Lake Kivu. Almost half of the cherries received at Gisheke come by boat from Mushungwe Island. All the cherries from the neighbouring islands are delivered by boat to Gisheke, which is only accessible by water.

Gisheke’s geographic location makes it ideal for the processing and drying of naturally processed lots. This is due to the consistent wind flow that moves between two steep hills that lead towards Lake Kivu, Idjwi Island and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Station: Gisheke
Region: Nyamasheke District

All cherry is hand-sorted before a pre-pulp float, underripe or damaged cherry is removed, along with any foreign objects. Cherry is then floated in pre-pulping tanks removing any floaters and later pulped. 

Once the cherry is sorted and cleaned, it is ready to be dried. The cherries are laid out evenly across raised beds, providing consistent airflow, and height away to prevent moisture and animals coming into contact with the cherry. The cherry is dried for 30 days, turned constantly when the sun is high and covered during the night. Once the cherry has dried, the now dried outer fruit is removed, and the coffee beans are ready to be organised for packing.