Muyongwe Coffee Washing Station in Gakenke District was last week announced the winner of the 7th edition of the Cup of Excellence competition in Rulindo District.

Munyogwe, which scored 90.42 per cent, was presented with a Presidential Award in a ceremony that saw the awarding of 24 best varieties of coffee from 208 lots that participated in the competition.

The competition, that rewards the best local coffee, has seen coffee farmers from different districts showcase their best products to a panel of jurors from around the world.

Rwanda Cup of Excellence is the most esteemed international award given to farmers with quality coffee.

The winning coffees are chosen by a select group of national and international experts and are cupped at least five times during the competition.

The Rwanda Cup of Excellence Award recognises top quality coffees that are produced following strict standards, protocols and rules, organisers say.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister for Agriculture, Gerardine Mukeshimana, reiterated the importance of maintaining quality coffee, owing to what the crop contributes to the economy.

"Coffee contributes 40 per cent to the country’s overall exports, so we must respect its quality. Washing stations determine the quality of coffee, which is why we must upgrade them,” she said, advising coffee farmers to maintain quality to ensure no hitches along the value chain.

Mukeshimana said coffee is important for the country and, in particular, to the over 4,000 farmers who directly depend on it.

Cup of Excellence executive director Susie Spindler said Rwandan farmers produce great coffee with diverse flavour profiles.

She said the washing stations were transparent enough to allow identification of the farms putting coffee into the lot no matter how small they were.

"We must salute Rwandan coffee growers. You are important to the global economy. This year’s quality has been incredible,” she said.

Over 208 lots were submitted during the pre-selection stage. This represented an increase from 170 lots received last year and 169 in 2013, according to National Agriculture Export Board (NAEB).

George William Kayonga, the NAEB director-general, said the final 24 have been awarded with the prestigious Cup of Excellence and would also sell their coffee to the highest bidder during an online auction next month.

Rwanda fetched over Rwf212 million from last year’s winning coffees that were auctioned on the Internet, up from Rwf159.3 million in 2013.

"The biggest proportion of the prices given during the auction goes directly to the farmers to boost their revenue and motivate them to keep producing high quality coffee,” Kayonga said.

Elias Rwiririza, who represented Muyongwe Coffee Washing Station, and the winner of 2015 Cup of excellence, said the award gives him courage and determination to continue ensuring the highest standards in coffee farming and processing.

"I am really excited by this achievement. Our cooperative has been struggling to maintain the highest standards and now our efforts have been rewarded,” said Rwiririza, whose coffee is celebrating a maiden award.

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