Nova Coffee was built by Agnes Mukamushinja and Felix Hitayezu, a nurse and pharmacist. After running Pharmacie Nova in Kigali, they entered the sector in 2015 with a clear mission: improve livelihoods through better farming practices. They purchased an aging washing station in Bukure and rebuilt it into a professionalized hub for local growers.

For Agnes, coffee is personal. Her connection to it is rooted in her home village and in her father, who spent decades as an agronomist. Once established in Bukure, she pursued every available resource to grow the business and support the community around it, including government trainings, NAEB programs, and Rwanda's IWCA chapter. One outcome was Le Café de Mamans, a coffee produced alongside 263 women farmers of the Berwa Cooperative and sold domestically.

Today, Nova Coffee receives cherry from smallholders adjacent to the station and three cooperatives: Jyambere Muhinzi Wakawa, Dukorere Kawa, and Berwa. Their team includes a full-time agronomist, experienced operations leads, and QC manager Celeste, who oversees processing and drying.

Brewing recommendations

• Rest 3+ weeks before brewing
• Filter: 1:16–17 ratio | 94°C
• Espresso: 1:2.2 ratio | 93°C | 25 seconds