When 33-year-old Bienvenu Mwizerwa resigned from his job in China to focus on broadening the Rwandan coffee and tea export market, he had no idea what he was heading for. However, he says, it was a decision he doesn’t regret. Coffee is one of the biggest exports from Rwanda. In spite of the large export capacity, Rwandan coffee is still occasional in other markets since the largest percentage comes from other countries. Rwanda Development Board (RDB) is doing its best to help local farmers and entrepreneurs gain a bigger market for coffee and tea outside Rwanda, he says, and believes that Rwanda has one of the best coffee and tea flavours. The launch of an idea He left for China in 2008 to study IT. After graduating in 2014, he returned to Rwanda in search for a job. Unfortunately, the salary was low, and so he returned to China for a job offer at a Logistics Company. One of his workers while packaging the tea at his offices in Nyarutarama. Photos: Courtesy While there, he gained experience and learnt the local language. In four years, he felt it was time to start his own company. The entrepreneur started a logistics company in China that still operates today. He got a chance to meet a number of Rwandans in China searching for home-grown coffee and tea—and this triggered the idea to find market for Rwanda’s products. Mwizerwa observed that most of the coffee and tea that was consumed in China was from Kenya and Ethiopia. He wanted to make a difference. He, therefore, came back to Rwanda to research about coffee and tea and all the flavours and noted a few things he required to start his own company. The IT expert realised that the locals in Rwanda, especially the low-and-middle class preferred tea to coffee. He, therefore, bought some machines from China to start operating. He officially started his company “Elegant Trading Solution Limited” with the trademark of Green Hills Tea and Coffee in Nyarutarama. His next step was to meet and sign contracts with farmers’ cooperatives to supply tea and sacks of coffee beans. Unlike most locals that export sacks of coffee beans, Mwizerwa exports already processed and packaged products. “I have learned to be creative to make a difference, which is why I blend different flavours of Rwandan tea and coffee, that is how I can compete in the international market,” he says. With the help of professionals in agriculture and food science, he was advised on the different types of tea and how he can blend them at a specified percentage for a great result, for instance, CTC tea, green tea, organic tea, orthodox tea, and so forth. To him, what makes expresso and cappuccino tasty is the blending. His tea is distributed to different parts of Rwanda and he is looking forward to exporting Rwandan coffee and tea to the rest of the world. In about a year, he will export coffee and tea to Benin. He also sent samples to China and is waiting on a response. He believes that what makes Africa lag behind in business is unenthusiastic team spirit. “If Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda emerged with other African countries and combined coffee and tea types and flavours, they would be way ahead internationally,” he says. Although he is progressing, he still needs more capital to expand his firm. Mwizerwa appreciates the backing offered by RDB to young entrepreneurs in sending their coffee and tea samples to foreign countries for the market.
