some coffees come from places shaped by resilience — where every harvest carries not just flavour, but a story of community and perseverance. kageyo is one of those coffees.
perched high in the hills near lake kivu, kageyo washing station sits at the heart of rwanda’s fertile western region. it began in 2009 with a simple but powerful idea: a group of smallholder farmers coming together to build something of their own. with a loan and a vision, they constructed a central processing unit — and by 2010, they were producing fully washed coffee for the first time.
that same year, they entered the cup of excellence and stunned the country by placing second. then, in 2011, they took first place — proof of the incredible potential hiding in those high-altitude hills. but the path wasn’t easy. despite their acclaim, poor yields in 2011 made repaying their loan difficult, and the co-op’s future hung in the balance.
in 2013, things began to shift. with support from rwanda trading company, the co-op received help with agronomy, production, and global marketing. two years later, rtc bought the station, cleared the debt, and — most importantly — kept the co-op structure alive. the farmers remained at the core.
today, kageyo continues to produce coffee of extraordinary quality. grown between 1800 and 2000 meters, each cherry is hand-picked and carefully processed — the result is a cup that’s clean, vibrant, and full of the quiet strength of the people behind it.
at untold coffee, we celebrate the coffees that beat the odds — not just for how they taste, but for the stories they carry. kageyo is a tribute to what’s possible when farmers work together and refuse to give up on something they believe in.
pour it slow. this is more than coffee. this is community, in every sip.
origin: rwanda
region: ngororero district
tasting notes: strawberry laces, cherry, dark chocolate and tamarind with toffee
altitude: 2000 masl
processing: natural
cupping score: 86.5
varietal: red bourbon
rwanda | kageyo station 🇷🇼
the untold story of kageyo station
at untold coffee, we believe every bean has a story—and the tale of kageyo washing station is one of resilience, passion, and an against-all-odds triumph.
nestled in the misty highlands along lake kivu, where the air is crisp and the volcanic soil is rich, kageyo began as a dream. in 2009, a tight-knit cooperative of smallholder farmers—each tending coffee on tiny, steep plots between 1800 and 2000 meters—took a leap of faith. with a loan, they built their first washing station, stepping into the world of fully washed coffee for the very first time.
then came 2010, their debut year. against all expectations, their coffee—processed with nothing but dedication—took 2nd place in rwanda’s prestigious cup of excellence (coe). a miracle? maybe. but the farmers of kageyo weren’t done yet.
in 2011, they did the unthinkable: they won. their coffee was crowned the best in rwanda. yet, behind the glory, hardship loomed. low yields that year made repaying their loan nearly impossible. the weight of debt threatened to crush the very dream they had built.
but great coffee finds a way.
in 2013, hope arrived in the form of rwanda trading company (rtc), who saw not just the struggle, but the potential. by 2015, rtc stepped in—erasing the debt, preserving the cooperative, and empowering the farmers to focus on what they did best: growing extraordinary coffee.
today, kageyo’s legacy lives on—a testament to what happens when skill, passion, and perseverance collide. and now, a small piece of that story has made its way to untold coffee. just 50 bags of their yearly harvest, each sip carrying the taste of high-altitude rwandan terroir and the heart of the farmers who refused to give up.
this is more than coffee. this is a story untold—until now.