Sunday, August 28, 2005
Butare:
2 and ½ hours of road and scenery later Marla, Anne, Jita, Delilah, Kate and our guide Richard Niwanshuti arrived in Butare ready to talk coffee and did so and more. Did you ever hear of Rwandan chilies? Well surprise, 2 of Tim's cooperatives have been successful and Tim believes that with the right leader they can be developed into a robust domestic business (Rwandans currently import their chili sauce). During our tour of the Pearl offices and the Marabo washing station Tim gave us an amazing lesson in Rwandan coffee production as well as chili horticulture. Tim shared the need for business training among the farmers who know soil but not profit and loss. Our next steps: Tim and Bpeace to identify potential candidates to drive the chili business and Bpeace to connect with Avega (Monday) to assess their need and desire for Bpeace coffee farmer assistance.
Photo © Peter Lien 2005
