Musasa

Musasa washing station lies at 1,526 meters above sea level in the high-altitude hills of the Congo Nile Trail – practically on the banks of Lake Kivu. The Trail features 227 km (141 miles) of beautiful landscapes, including rolling hills and clear water. The washing station began operations in 2013 and since then has gone from strength to strength, including a Cup of Excellence win in 2011.

All farmers delivering to Musasa station live within a 15-kilometer radius. After selectively handpicking their coffee, they transport cherry to the washing station using a variety of means. Cherry is then inspected and hand-sorted to remove any damaged or underripes before they are weighed and loaded into the station’s pulper. Farmers receive a payment in line with the quality and quantity delivered.

Musasa uses a Pinhalense eco-pulper, which separates ripe and underripe/underweight cherries again, along with removing any debris remaining with the cherry. This pulper uses one cubic meter of water to process up to 20 tons, significantly reducing the environmental footprint of the washing station. After pulping, coffee is delivered to the fermentation tanks to ferment for around 24 hours. After this, the coffee is thoroughly washed in clean water and all traces of mucilage are removed from the beans.