Kayumbu washing station is located in the Kamonyi district of Rwanda’s Southern province, at an altitude of 1720 masl. The station supports 1057 smallholder coffee producers from the surrounding hills that lie at 1600 masl to 2100 masl.

When producers deliver the cherries to Kayumbu, the staff at the washing station select only the best, and remove under-ripe cherries through flotation. There, they have sorting tables and well trained staff for this specific purpose. Because of the high number of washing stations in the region, each station face a pressure to receive cherry from the surrounding community. Hence, they have to accept almost every delivery in order to prevent the coffee producers to sell elsewhere with less hassle. Therefore, a crucial selection task must be carried out by the washing station staff to result the best coffees.

Kayumbu washing station produces naturals only at the beginning and at the end of the harvest season. This benefits by allowing the washing station staff to focus in processing this delicious coffee without worrying about capacity. The natural process demands a meticulous method when it comes to cherry selection and drying. After selection, the cherries are sent straight to the drying tables until evenly dried; taking around 3 weeks.