The Coffee Bike

There are 500,000 small coffee plantations in the African country of Rwanda, each managed like a small garden with an average of only 200 coffee trees. This is the principal source of income for rural Rwanda.

Most farmers transport their heavy loads of freshly picked coffee cherries on crude hand-made wooden bikes to washing stations, which offer little more efficiency than a wheel barrow over long distances.

Greyhouse is partnering with PROJECT RWANDA to contribute to a fund that assists Rwandan farmers in financing a custom-built cargo bike. For only $250 a bike can be financed, manufactured, assembled and delivered to a farmer in Bukonya, Rwanda.

That same $250 investment also provides five other farmers the opportunity to receive micro-financing for their own coffee bike, and helps sustain their entire village. As the coffee farmer makes payments on the bike over a period of two years, your investment is recycled into further micro-financing for even more farmers, continuing the sustainable cycle.

    Why it matters

  • Less Time, Higher Premiums

    If the transport time of coffee cherries coming from the coffee field to the washing station was reduced by two-thirds, this could translate into a 12% higher premium per pound of green coffee sold by the farmer.

  • The wooden bikes are dangerous

    Hand-made wooden bikes like this are currently used by some Rwandan farmers, but they are inefficient, dangerous, and even illegal to own and operate.

    Efficient, well-maintained bicycles greatly reduce the strenuous labor and potential for injuries that farmers must daily endure.

  • Efficiency = Better Quality

    The reduced time between picking a coffee cherry and washing it can increase the quality of the coffee you drink.

Make a difference

Drink our Rwandan Coffee

We now offer french-pressed Rwandan coffee daily. Try a cup. Fill-out one of our survey cards, and hang it on out Village Post. We want to know what you think about it. Enjoy it often. Tell your friends. The more America drinks Rwandan coffee, the more America contributes to the rebuilding of a broken nation.

Make a donation

$

Any cash or change you can spare makes a difference. You can easily donate using the Google Donate form above or in store at the donation box at our front counter. If you'd like to write a check, it may be written to "Greyhouse Coffee".

Show your support

Come into the store (or call us to place a credit card order over the phone) to learn more or purchase a T-Shirt or 1 lb. of Rwandan Coffee for $25.00. Proceeds go to the Coffee Bike Initiative.

Coffee Bike T-Shirt

Limited edition design printed on an American Apparel track shirt.

- Or -

One Pound of Rwandan

Take our new Rwandan coffee home with you and share it with others.