Huye Mountain: A Rwanda Single Origin Coffee Story

Producer David Rubanzangabo’s coffee journey began at a point in Rwanda’s coffee history when, at the tipping point of potential collapse, Rwanda rewrote its own coffee narrative. Keep reading to learn all about the remarkable story of Rwanda Huye Mountain single-origin coffee.

Rwanda’s Coffee History and Recovery

Rwanda has a long history of coffee cultivation, dating back to the early 1900s. For much of the 20th century, the focus was on high-yield, low-quality coffee production. Cherries were delivered to government-run mills or intermediaries, before being blended into large lots for commercial customers. And while this system provided an outlet for Rwandan coffee, it hindered producers' market access, economic mobility, and the possibility of quality distinction.



Known as "The Land of a Thousand Hills," Rwanda always had the conditions for specialty coffee cultivation. However, the country's potential hadn't yet been realized.



Rwanda’s coffee industry nearly collapsed in the wake of the 1994 genocide. The country lost thousands of producers, resulting in a collective vacuum of coffee knowledge and cultivation across Rwanda. Recovery was difficult, compounded by weak global market prices often below costs of production – providing little income or incentive for investment.



In the midst of this crisis, a newly formed association of producers in Rwanda’s Maraba Sector came together, looking to collectively improve both the quality of their coffee and their market access. Known as Abahuzamugambi Ba Kawa Maraba Cooperative, the association focused on moving away from selling to intermediary buyers while positioning itself to negotiate better prices directly with exporters.

David Rubanzangabo and the Rise of Maraba Specialty Coffee

David Rubanzangabo came to specialty coffee as an agricultural technician, working in the Maraba Sector with the fledgling Abahuzamugambi Ba Kawa Maraba Cooperative. Using the profits gained from securing higher prices, the cooperative bought and distributed fertilizers and tools to farmers.



Before long, the National University of Rwanda took notice of Maraba coffee producers’ efforts to improve their livelihoods and crop quality. Specialists from the university began collaborating with a USAID project called Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda (PEARL).



In 2001, PEARL began to assess the ways it could offer support. David helped PEARL understand how the cooperatives in Maraba functioned, identifying specific needs for resources, while also training cooperative members in quality improvements. Through this collaboration, seedlings of the Bourbon variety were introduced and distributed. The project also constructed cooperative washing stations to provide consistent and timely processing — a crucial factor that can make or break coffee quality.

By 2005, the quality of coffees coming out of participating cooperatives started to catch the attention of coffee buyers around the world. The PEARL project evolved into Sustaining Partnerships to Enhance Rural Enterprise and Agribusiness Development (SPREAD), to expand across other coffee producing districts. During David’s time with SPREAD, he supervised and managed quality control across 86 different washing stations. He also trained producers in how to prepare their own coffee to drink and enjoy.

The beginning of Huye Mountain Coffee

Toward the end of his time as a coordinator with SPREAD, David purchased three hectares of land in the Huye District and began growing coffee. This was the beginning of Huye Mountain Coffee.

• Name: Rwanda Huye Mountain
• Origin: Rwanda (Huye District)
• Producer: David Rubanzangabo
• Region: Sovu
• Variety: Bourbon
• Process: Washed (plus anaerobic natural lot)
• Flavor Notes: Dried peach, dark chocolate, golden syrup

Quality in cultivation, processing, and preparation was the fundamental idea David brought to producers and cooperatives he worked with. In David's own words, "We are focused on quality, quality, quality”

Nothing changed when he began cultivating his own coffee. After David planted his first coffee trees, he began construction on a washing station. It soon attracted the attention of his neighbors, many of whom David had worked with during his time at SPREAD.

By 2012, Huye Mountain had produced its first 50 bags of coffee from a combination of David’s own farm and those of his neighbors. That same year, Huye Mountain entered the Cup of Excellence (COE) competition.

The COE is held annually in many coffee-producing countries. A jury of international coffee professionals evaluates selected coffees, ranks them by quality, then offers them to buyers around the world in a highly competitive online auction. Remarkably, in its first year, Huye Mountain took second place out of 26 coffees. And as luck would have it, David also sent some of Huye Mountain’s coffee to Stumptown. 

David sent samples of his first harvest, simply looking for feedback and possible interest in a future partnership. But the quality of David’s and the Huye Mountain producers’ work was so impressive that we bought eight bags to offer on Stumptown’s single origin menu. Fourteen years later, we still wait excitedly for a glimpse of Huye Mountain’s harvest when we receive our first samples of the year.

Building Quality Through Community

Huye Mountain began with 204 producers, in addition to using coffee from David’s own farm. Today, it works with over 1,800 producers and David operates three of his own farms – Gako, Gishamvu, and Kigoma – under the David Coffee Farm name.

The 100% Bourbon variety lot Stumptown has purchased since 2012 still comes from producers growing coffee in the village of Sovu. Although Huye’s network now includes producers from seven different coffee-growing zones, David reserves coffee from Sovu for Stumptown, which maintains the consistency and quality our customers have come to expect. As David puts it, "Stumptown always comes in first place."

David’s sister, Rachelle, heads up Huye Mountain’s quality control. Each day’s harvest is separated into what are called day lots. Rachelle evaluates each of these, selecting the best Sovu lots for Stumptown. Notably, she also tastes day lots from across the seven zones of Huye Mountain’s network, which means she’s evaluating between 30 and 40 coffees each day.

Stumptown’s coffee team and customers owe a huge thanks to Rachelle’s meticulous work in building the lot that ends up on our single origin menu.

Investment in the Future of Rwandan Coffee

Seedlings are often a big expense for coffee producers looking to expand their crop. So, in 2020, David built a coffee nursery and conceived a seedling distribution project to support a boost in coffee production in his community. As of 2026, the project has delivered more than 800,000 seedlings through Huye Mountain’s network. Stumptown was proud to co-fund this investment in the community.

There is an ongoing project geared toward gaining organic certification for a subset of Huye Mountain's network of producers. The benefits of organic agricultural practices include eliminating pesticides and improving soil health and biodiversity. However, organic certification would also open the door to wider market access for Huye Mountain’s coffees.

Gaining organic certification is costly and complicated, requiring technical training, the purchase and application of organic fertilizers, and rigorous testing. Coffee production is already costly, and paying for certification is a burden that most farmers can't shoulder. To this end, David proposed a partnership with Stumptown to co-fund these costs for producers. The project is in its final steps and we hope to share some good news soon.

2026 Huye Mountain Coffees and Flavor Profiles

As Stumptown and Huye Mountain enter their 14th year of partnership, we’re excited to share that there will be several ways to enjoy Huye Mountain in 2026.

This year’s single origin lot is back and as wonderful as ever, with notes of dried peach, dark chocolate, and golden syrup.

We’re also featuring Huye Mountain in a limited edition blend, Wild Flower, pairing it with a coffee from Papua New Guinea. The result is a radiant cup displaying notes of tea rose, Belgian chocolate, and lemon citrus. 

But that’s not all, and we’ve saved the best for last.

Limited Edition Anaerobic Micro Lot

In 2024, David entered two coffees from Huye Mountain into the Best of Rwanda competition. He also made sure to take note of the fermentation process used for that year’s winning coffee: anaerobic natural.

Anaerobic fermentation processes have been showing up more and more in the coffee world over the last few years. Thanks to the absence of air during fermentation, there is a reduced risk of introducing wild yeasts or mold. This, in turn, allows for an extended fermentation process in a more controlled environment.

When done well, anaerobic coffees exhibit heavier body and pronounced fruit notes. Demand has risen from coffee connoisseurs seeking out these distinct profiles. Naturally, David wanted to see how Huye Mountain coffees would hold up under this process.

He began by seeking out coffees for this special experimental anaerobic natural lot. In the end, 30 farms in the Huye Mountain network were selected during the early stages of harvest season. Once the cherries were delivered, they were sorted by color and density, washed, and then put into anaerobic tanks for a 76-hour fermentation. Post fermentation, the coffee was depulped, then sun-dried on raised beds to regulate airflow and ensure even drying.

Stumptown is always excited to taste producer partners’ experiments. There’s no guarantee that an anaerobic process will result in a profile that works for Stumptown’s menu, but we were curious (and optimistic). David sent us a sample of this anaerobic lot to taste, and it was nothing short of stupendous. In fact, Stumptown’s cupping team ran out of room on our evaluation sheets for the many notes this anaerobic lot offered.

Displaying prominent notes of plum, cacao, honey, and sweet lime, this coffee offers heavy sweetness while being very balanced and drinkable. It's sometimes the case that drinkability can be an issue with anaerobic process coffees; overly strong notes might put you off finishing a whole cup. But we could drink this anaerobic lot from Huye Mountain all day long.

Consider this an invitation to taste another example of the dedication to excellence that David continues to invest so much in. This special coffee will be available by pre-order only, because there isn't a bean to spare from this small lot.

Why Huye Mountain Coffee Matters

Stumptown’s single-origin menu showcases some of the finest quality coffees in the world. Dedication to quality not only helps ensure a delicious cup of coffee, it creates a story – the story of where a coffee comes from and the work that went into producing it.

Our relationship with Huye Mountain is an ongoing story of passion, commitment, and true dedication. In spite of his success with Huye Mountain, David Rubanzangabo remains unshakeably humble. Ever the perfectionist, his message to Stumptown customers is a simple request: "I'd like your feedback about my coffee. This helps me make improvements."

We're honored to partner with David Rubanzangabo as he continues investing in the quality of his coffees and the success of his community.

Thank you for being a part of this story. Huye Mountain and Stumptown are thrilled to be a part of your daily ritual, wherever you are brewing and enjoying this coffee. We hope to continue this journey for many years and hope you’ll come along!