Reflections on Rwanda — Coffee, Community, and Connection

And then, the people. Rwanda’s past — brutal and unthinkably painful — somehow manifests in the present as a quiet strength, a collective integrity, and an unshakable sense of togetherness. There’s joy in the work, honesty in the communication, and a deep-rooted compassion in how people interact, collaborate, and harvest. Village-level teamwork and traditional practices meet with modern agronomic support from varying organizations, such as Muraho and Raw Material, trying to bring continued quality, efficiency and dignity into the process.

Raw Material in collaboration with the Muraho Trading Company in particular stood out — not just for the systems they’re building, but for the authenticity of their relationships. I spent time with them in Kigali, often in surprisingly luxurious settings, but what was more striking was seeing how they move between these different worlds — from city to countryside, comfort to challenge — always with the same purpose.

You realize how easily we, from the outside, carry a naive image of Rwanda. Yes, poverty exists, but it’s far from the full picture. There’s a complex social structure and layers of support, ambition, and pride. There is a grace in the way people move through their days.

One of the most powerful parts of the journey was at The Vunga Cooperative in Rwanda’s Nyabihu District, the volcanic region, where I met President Daphrose Uwimana, the woman leading an organization that’s endured extraordinary hardship. After several landslides devastated their community, they rebuilt — again and again. The resilience, the quiet strength, the collective response… it was overwhelming to witness.

At the heart of the entire experience was a deep focus on community. Everything — from the plantations to the city — reflected a strong ethic of shared joy, reward through collaboration, and a human-centered approach. It felt like the scars of the past had inspired a radical, beautiful kind of togetherness.

A huge thank you goes out to Alan Tomlins and the Raw Materialteam, Gaudam Anbalagan, Karthick Anbalagan and Eustache Mutakirwa from Muraho.