Kivubelt Coffee (Furaha Umwizeye)

Kivubelt Coffee was established in 2011 by Furaha Umwizeye, a Rwandan native who returned to her home country after completing a master's degree in economics in Switzerland. The company is headquartered in the Nyamasheke district, a region along the central shoreline of Lake Kivu that is internationally recognized for producing some of Rwanda's highest-quality specialty coffee. Since its inception, the organization has focused on integrating modern processing techniques with a deep commitment to local economic development and agricultural sustainability.

The operational heart of Kivubelt lies in its management of both private estates and community-focused infrastructure. Umwizeye began the venture by acquiring approximately 200 acres of farmland in the Gihombo community. Under her leadership, the company has planted over 90,000 coffee trees on its estates. Beyond its own land, Kivubelt operates two primary washing stations, Murundo and Jarama, which serve as critical hubs for processing coffee cherries harvested by the company and by independent smallholder farmers in the surrounding areas.

A central component of Kivubelt’s impact is the 'People’s Farm' project, a collaborative initiative involving small-scale farmers near Gihombo. In the Rwandan context, where landholdings are often too small to be measured by acreage, production is typically gauged by the number of trees a farmer maintains. Kivubelt facilitates quality control by consolidating these small harvests, providing farmers with access to resources, training, and processing infrastructure that would otherwise be unavailable to them, thereby ensuring higher quality standards and better market access.

The coffee produced under the Kivubelt banner is almost exclusively derived from the Bourbon variety, a lineage that traces its roots back to 18th-century Yemen. This variety is highly regarded for its cup profile, which often features complex notes of tropical fruit, caramel, allspice, and floral undertones. The company’s rigorous approach to processing—including methods such as triple-washing—has earned it a reputation among international roasters for producing clean, sweet, and vibrant coffees that reflect the unique terroir of the Lake Kivu highlands.

Kivubelt’s business model emphasizes long-term relationships and ethical responsibility. While Furaha Umwizeye remains the founder and guiding force, the day-to-day operations are managed by a dedicated team, including Managing Director Claudine Kantengwa and quality specialist Axel Ngarambe. This leadership structure ensures that the company maintains its focus on quality separation and supply chain transparency, which are essential for the specialty coffee market.

For the roaster and the consumer, the Kivubelt tag represents a verified commitment to the 'farm-to-filter' journey. By maintaining ownership and control over the processing and supply chain, the company ensures that the coffee is not only fresh but also produced in a manner that supports the livelihoods of hundreds of local employees and smallholder families. This holistic approach has made Kivubelt a consistent partner for specialty roasters globally, serving as a benchmark for professionalized, impact-driven coffee production in Western Rwanda.