Rwanda's $45 million coffee industry, which
represents half of its income, has specialty buyers in the U.S.
raving about its quality is news in itself, given how low the
country's beans were regarded just eight years ago.
That situation has changed since 2000 thanks to investments
by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Starbucks,
USAID and other organizations, which have poured millions of
dollars and resources into improving the coffee industry of the
landlocked African nation.
Rwandan coffee now may sell on the specialty market for about
three times what it previously sold for on the commodity market
because of the infrastructure improvements.
Starbucks, which invested $1.1 million in the East Africa
region in fiscal 2008, has tripled the amount of beans it buys
from Rwanda since 2006
Bidders from across the globe paid between $4.20 to $18 a
pound for the Rwandan Cup of Excellence winners, with an average
price paid of $7.98,
clipped from: www.bloomberg.com