The Abateraninkunga ba Sholi (“Sholi”) Cooperative, meaning “Mutual Assistance,” is located in Muhanga, Rwanda. Established in 2008, the Cooperative’s name speaks to its members working together to improve both their coffee and the greater community. Sholi was born out of a women’s association called “Kundwa”, which means “love” in Kinyarwanda. Today, nearly half of Sholi’s members are women, including two of the five board members.
In 2016, Sholi received a grant to build both a community center and a regional health center to serve members and residents. With the nearest large health facility being over 18 km away on poor roads, the community center provides blood tests and treatment for malaria, parasites, respiratory infections, and basic first aid. Betty, the head nurse, along with the other four staff members, are hoping to run a nutrition and cooking program to combat early childhood malnutrition.
For natural process coffees, Sholi selects and identifies the highest-quality cherries that arrive at the central washing station. The cherries are sorted, separated by density, and moved to the drying tables. After three or four days, the dried cherries are covered for 24-30 hours to develop flavor. The cherries are monitored and continue to dry up to 30-35 days, depending on the weather.
