Our latest release from the Gasharu group is their 'standard' natural process. Over the past few years we've had some extraordinary 'experimental' anaerobic naturals including IREME and INTEGO. When Valentin from Gasharu offered samples of their standard washed and naturals we knew they'd also be great coffees. We opted for this natural since it's a great example of a well selected and naturally dried coffee from the Nyamasheke region of Rwanda.

Coffee plantations in the Gasharu region benefit from their proximity to the continuous of Nyungwe National Park. They get a good amount of rainfall to make the cherries juicier and the coffee fruity.

Throughout the year, Gasharu Coffee holds small group meetings with coffee farmers to catch up on life, discuss the challenges in farming and to discuss opportunities. Though Valentins father and owner of the company Celestin is not an agronomist, he has always received calls from coffee farmers to advise on farming and processing due to his experience in farming. Today Valentin gives farming advice too and as one of his nine sons Valentin has both farming experience and academic training as an agronomist. He provide more scientific-based farming and harvesting guidance whenever needed.

The cherries selected for this lot are collected at altitudes between 1700 m and 2100 m. When they are received at the washing station they are sorted and floated to ensure consistent and good density beans are separated from the others. These beans undergo intense sorting at the pre-drying tables and are later dried on the raised African beds for 25-30 days. Once dried, the coffee is well kept and stored in good conditions before being hulled and sorted by well-trained women and then packed in GrainPro and Jute bags for export. The processing at the washing station is carried out by young coffee farmers and the sorting on tables by slightly older coffee farmers, mainly women, providing them with more income.