Rwanda has some of the best coffee growing conditions in the world. The COOPAC coffee cooperative is located on the steep slopes of northern Rwanda's volcanic mountains, where the rich soil, high altitudes and abundant rainfall give the bourbon coffee trees dotting the slopes above Lake Kivu the best environment to yield the best Arabica beans. COOPAC has been Fair Trade certified and currently COOPAC specialty coffee is distributed in Rwanda, the USA and France.

Founded in 2000, The Dukunde Kawa Coopertive cultivates its high quality coffee near a mountain gorilla habitat of central Rwanda. By producing high-end coffee for the international market and employing a majority female workforce, the cooperative ensures maximum benefits to local families. In 2003, the co-op built a washing station with funds provided by the Rwandan ministry of defense. In exchange for this support, the Dukunde Kawa cooperative donates 10% of its net profits annually to fund the construction of other washing stations throughout Rwanda.

Fair Trade Certified with Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) since 2004, Dukunde Kawa secures a high standard of living for Rwandan farmers by ensuring access to an economically and environmentally sustainable coffee industry.

Abahuzamugambi co-operative was founded by 300 smallholders after the 1994 war and genocide in an attempt to improve their economic situation. It is located in Maraba, one of the poorest districts of Rwanda, where many households are headed by widows or children orphaned by AIDS or the genocide. The members are subsistence farmers who rely on coffee for 70% of their cash income to pay for basic necessities such as food and clothing.

Abahuzamugambi, whose name translates as ‘those who have common goals’, was Fairtrade certified in October 2002. It receives the Fairtrade minimum price of 126 cents/lb for its arabica coffee; this includes a premium of 5 cents/lb which is reserved for business and social development programmes. In 2003, sales to local buyers achieved around 50 cents/kg. The extra income from the Fairtrade sales is currently paid to farmers as a cash payment to boost their incomes. Their coffee is marketed in the UK by Union Coffee Roasters under the Maraba brand and is available from Sainsbury’s and independent stores.