When life blesses you, you bless others and that is what Perpetue Mukamusinga, a business woman and the first female Barista in Rwanda is doing, she is the owner and Managing Director of Integrated Barista Training Centre Ltd (IBTC).
Mukamusinga opened IBTC in April 2021 with the main goal of finding ways to open opportunities and be a part of the constantly-growing coffee industry in Rwanda.
An authorized Specialty Coffee Trainer (AST) in Barista Skills, Brewing skills, Green coffee and Sensory skills, Mukamusinga has trained over 1,000 students through the coffee value chain. Certified in roasting and cupping, she has more than 12 years in the Coffee industry where she oversaw marketing of the women coffee, elaborated and conducted the curriculum of the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) coffee training for Sustainable Growers Rwanda’s Social Enterprise Question Coffee.
Previously, she led a training programme for Barista Academy under the Hanga Ahazaza initiative and was also the national barista champion for SCA Barista Camp scholarship 2019 winner in Greece.
Starting out
While starting IBTC, the aim was to promote Rwandan coffee by educating SCA courses to coffee farmers, processers and exporters with focus on local and international consumption by training baristas and selling Rwandan coffee worldwide.
Over the past two decades, Rwanda has emerged as one of Africa’s success stories and a model for reconstruction politically, economically and socially, thanks to the many reforms, developments and innovations like IBTC.
The first of its kind in Rwanda, the centre is aimed at providing the international Specialty Coffee Association coffee skills program to students and professionals in hospitality and tourism sectors.
IBTC provides and upgrades International courses on the whole Coffee value chain (Barista Skills, Brewing Skills, Sensory Skills, Green Coffee Skills and Roasting).
IBTC is accredited internationally by the Specialty Coffee Association and the initiative has already created and increased the knowledge and skills in the Rwandan coffee sector and worldwide through collective trainings from the origin to the final elaboration.
The founder of IBTC notes that the courses aims to increase the value of Rwanda’s domestic coffee market by offering barista and brewing specialty pathways, including an AST (certified trainer) pathway.
IBTC goals
The Training Centre promotes local coffee consumption and is increasing the availability of specialty coffee to be the preferable premium beverage to the community at affordable prices.
Having more qualified Baristas at international level with the positive impacts of providing a good hospitality, maintaining the highest coffee quality in the cup and being full detailed of the coffee they are serving.
Maintaining the purity of coffee and its brewing so it meets its health benefits, nutritional values and safe to the consumer.
Mukamusinga said that the objective is to increase sustainable Capacity Building of the coffee community through collective trainings of the coffee industry, upgrading coffee skills on the high quality with positive impacts to change the coffee community, by increasing socio-economic and emotional attachment for coffee by Rwandans and Coffee Culture.
Creating jobs for Rwandan youth is another important target for Mukamusinga, this applies to both local and international markets. After completing trainings young certified Rwandans will be capable to compete at different market places of the coffee sector.
The training on barista and brewing is also intended to contribute to tourism and hospitality industry through different activities of coffee value chain, as Rwanda coffee is known worldwide for its quality, this attracts different foreigners to come and enjoy the delicious drink from its origin.
