As the CEO of a green bean company, and as a woman, my dream was to create a brand of roasted coffee that would give me a platform from which to reach and inspire other women in the coffee world. We are striving to build a community that is committed to helping young girls & women unlock their potential and achieve their goals.

In 2008 Rwanda changed its entire education system from French to English. The challenge was to give schools and students the necessary supported to fully grasp the English language. 

“Smiles” is our project that aims to teach English to the young underprivileged children in the coffee farming communities of Rwanda. This project originally started out as a weekend informal day camp by our two children and their friends, who were passionate in their belief that education should not be a lottery of birth.

" Fairer Than Fair Trade - Giving back to our farmers who give us so much through their coffee "

The realization that so many women with whom we work have problems with their sight, led us to begin the "3 African Sisters Coffee Specs Project. "

Coffee Specs has given us the opportunity to give back and continuously support the people who grow and sort our incredible coffee here in Rwanda.

For exceptional coffee, sorting during harvesting and processing is of the utmost importance. Women sort out the defective beans for hours, as even a few defective beans can reduce the quality of an otherwise excellent lot. The stress and strain on their eyes, especially if they have signs of presbyopia or other eye problems, is tremendous. By helping to provide them with eyeglasses, we aim to make their lives easier and extend their sorting careers.

There is nothing that allows you to embrace and feel the coffee like the stories told by the farmers from the exotic far away lands where your favourite coffee grows.

How Francois came to be a coffee farmer

Francois Kavaruganda is a 75-year-old coffee farmer, whose first encounter with coffee farming occurred at the age 15. The year was 1955 and Francois’ school class was visited by a Catholic priest who gifted each student with a magnificent coffee tree that they were required to plant – those who didn’t plant the tree were whipped by the teacher. Since then coffee has become an integral part of Francois’ life, his prized possession – a pair of red pruning sheers which was given to him by his father is testament to this.

It is stories like Francois’, one of so many, that keep reminding us that it’s so important to remember where and how our coffee is farmed. It is these stories that give the coffee life.