For six years, 27-year-old Justine Irikumwenatwe, a mother of three, cultivated coffee without ever tasting it.

Each harvest season, she carefully picked ripe cherries from her trees in Rukara Sector, delivered them to her cooperative and waited for payment.

To her, coffee was strictly a source of income — not a drink.

"I had grown coffee for six years, but I had never drunk it,” she says with a smile, stirring beans in a clay pot over a wood fire. "When we started roasting it ourselves, I became curious. I tasted it and realised this is something we produce with pride. Now I drink it regularly.”

Irikumwenatwe is a member of Twongere Umusaruro wa Kawa (TUK), a coffee cooperative based in Rukara Sector. The cooperative, whose name means Let’s Increase Coffee Production, has 193 members, including 181 women and 12 men.

Established in 2013, TUK has grown into a key player in the district’s coffee sector. Members harvest more than 300 tonnes of coffee annually.

The cooperative operates a processing plant with the capacity to handle up to three tonnes per hour and sells its produce locally and internationally.

It reports assets valued at more than Rwf300 million, reflecting steady growth over the past decade.

Beyond production, the cooperative has revived traditional coffee preparation methods to stimulate domestic consumption. In its courtyards, members hold regular demonstrations where women roast beans in blackened clay pots over wood fires before grinding them by hand. New members learn the process, an approach leaders say has increased coffee consumption at household level.

Madeline Batamuriza, the cooperative’s chairperson, says the initiative grew out of practicality.

"Our cooperative works in groups. We train members on how to process coffee so they can also drink it in their homes,” she says. "We realised it was difficult for farmers to afford machines, so we use simple air chambers to dry the beans, remove the husks, dry them again, then roast and grind them. This method has increased the amount of coffee consumed by residents here in Rukara.”

The revival of home preparation aligns with a broader national trend. Rwanda’s domestic coffee consumption has more than doubled in two years.

In 2023, local consumption accounted for about two percent of national production. By the 2024–2025 fiscal year, that figure had risen to five percent, more than 1,000 tonnes out of the 21,295 tonnes produced nationwide.

The National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) has set a target to raise domestic consumption to at least 15 percent of total output.

Officials say achieving that goal will require affordability, consistent quality and a cultural shift that encourages Rwandans to take pride in drinking locally grown coffee.

Sandrine Urujeni, NAEB’s Chief Operations Officer, says the model pioneered in Kayonza is being replicated elsewhere.

"Mainly targeting women, we will enrol facilitators who will teach farmers how to prepare coffee at home by frying it,” she says. "We tried it in the Southern Province, and it has increased coffee consumption.”

For veteran farmer John Nsengiyumva, who has grown coffee for 15 years, changes in the sector have delivered tangible results. He now owns three houses — including two commercial properties — supported by income from his 800 coffee trees.

"I grew up in a family of coffee farmers. Our customers were unknown, and sometimes our produce went unsold,” he says. "Unlike before, we are now motivated. Last season, I earned Rwf500,000 from my harvest. We get incentives from our cooperative, and I am now a happy coffee farmer. Next season, I will expand my cultivated land.”

TUK leaders say they aim to position their coffee among the best globally. In a recent intercontinental competition involving 93 countries, the cooperative ranked 30th, a result members say inspires them to further improve quality.

Across Kayonza District, the coffee industry continues to expand. The district reports more than 900 hectares under coffee cultivation, about 2.5 million coffee trees and six processing factories supporting production.

Local authorities also note the emergence of coffee startups targeting residents and travellers who use Kayonza as a stopover destination, further reinforcing the shift toward a stronger coffee-drinking culture at home.