In 2006 Benjamin Mutimura was a working university student, working shifts as a barman in the former Intercontinental Hotel, now Kigali Serena Hotel.

One of his prime concerns then was earning enough money to be able to pay tuition fees and meet other necessities.

As he struggled to make ends meet, Mutimura got a lucky break when The Serena Group took over Intercontinental Hotel, in early 2007, and he was selected to go to Nairobi Serena to train as a barista, a person specially trained in the making and serving of coffee drinks.

The one-month course in Nairobi made him the first coffee barista in Rwanda.

On return, he carried on with work at the hotel. Shortly after, a chance meeting with Arthur Karuletwa, then of Bourbon Coffee chain, who encouraged him to pursue a career in preparing coffee.

He recalls a morning when Karuletwa walked into the hotel’s then Banana Jam Bar (now Sokoni) and ordered for Cappuccino, a classic espresso drink that requires the perfect touch to make. 

Mutimura took the order and right away got busy.  Karuletwa was just another customer and all he was thinking as he worked was making the best cappuccino.

But moments later after delivering the order, he observed a look of excitement on his pleased customer’s face. Karuletwa, the young man later learned, was astonished to find a very good Rwandan barista at the hotel.

Bourbon Coffee was at the time in the process of setting up its first coffee house at Union Trade Centre (UTC) in Kigali.

"As he left, he requested me to call him later. After work, we talked and he invited me to UTC. We chatted and he asked if I would be interested in joining them. I was surprised; I really knew nothing about coffee shops back then.

"I also couldn’t figure out how I could leave the big hotel and go for something as small as a coffee shop. His proposal sounded bizarre but, again, I was thrilled. I didn’t make an instant decision. I asked for time to consider things but he went on and organised short training sessions where I was invited.”

When Mutimura joined other trainees, it turned out he was already experienced and better trained in the art of making coffee drinks. He ended up becoming a trainer.

Good baristas are essential to the success of any coffee house or bar, since customers will return for the great service and, most of all, the perfectly brewed coffee. 

The more Mutimura interacted with Karuletwa, the more he loved operating espresso machines by preparing and pulling shots – the grinding of coffee beans, and determining the dosage amount in the drink.

By early 2007, his mind was made up. He quit his job at Serena and joined Bourbon Coffee, the first big coffee bar in town.  

He would travel and learn more about coffee during the six years at his new job. He upgraded his barista status and advanced in other areas, including coffee tasting.

No regrets opting for coffee world

Today, the 33-year old is a member of the national jury that tastes best coffees. He recently participated in an international jury that selected this year’s best coffees in Rwanda.

The world belongs to those who hustle, they say, and in 2012 he left his job at Bourbon Coffee determined to make it on his own. From a monthly pay check of about Rwf175,000, in 2006, to around Rwf400,000 as a Bourbon Coffee employee, later, the budding entrepreneur nowadays earns Rwf1m on short-term consulting jobs.

"It is possible to go a full month without a job but whatever the case, if I can sustain myself without a job, I am better off than one who relies on a monthly salary.”

Looking back, Mutimura does not feel sorry for saying goodbye to his first employer. He is now a highly regarded barista, a national coffee master roaster and juror at a time when Rwanda has only two master roasters and just over 11 jurors.

"I don’t regret. What I am doing now is better. My life changed completely. In the past I reported to work for my shift, and then after headed to school but when I joined the coffee world, I met different people with more expertise, got more ideas and traveled extensively.”

Mutimura who has traversed Africa, Asia, Europe, and beyond to partake in coffee events is the national coordinator of the Rwanda Barista Network which has nearly 50 members.

He participates in annual auctions of the African Fine Coffee Association (AFCA), a regional non profit, non political, member-driven association representing coffee sectors in 11 member countries.

Aiming higher

His future plans include opening his own coffee shop, a venture he thinks he can pull off in the next 12 months.

Opening a coffee shop is an expensive venture, Mutimura admits, but he is confident that a small one going for about Rwf30 million is within his capabilities.

With a good location in the city, he estimates, such a shop can earn about Rwf1m per day, nearly the same amount that would be required for monthly rent.

"In the next five years, after setting up my coffee shop, I look to have a coffee washing station. I also dream of owning my own coffee plantation in future. This is a long project that can happen in about 10 years.”

The first barista in the country believes in the country’s coffee quality and says Rwandans have embraced coffee drinking too, which is a good sign.