MEET OUR FOUNDER

Jack Karuletwa | Founder & CEO

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As a young man, Jack witnessed many Rwandans, almost always Tutsi, on the move and unsettled, the results of political unrest and the impending genocide. His family was among those on the move.

Jack’s father sensed trouble in Rwanda as early as the 1960s and made a quick decision to move the family out of the country. As a result, Jack and his siblings spent most of their lives as Tutsi refugees from Rwanda unable to live in their own country simply because of the ethnic group from which they came. They moved consistently, changed their names, or even pretended not to be Rwandan. During this time, his mother shielded her children from the danger with her strong faith and maternal instincts. Jack knew when he moved to the United States in the mid-1990s that his father was saving him from ever having to go back to Rwanda where there seemed no hope of escaping intense scrutiny, discrimination and hostility.

He attended Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. There he studied physics and discovered his aptitude for basketball, which lead to a three-month travel tour with the Harlem Globe Trotters and a place on the NBA practice team. He also worked as an actor on nationally syndicated television shows and commercials, and co-starred in a Disney feature film. With every opportunity he promised himself that one day he would return to Rwanda from a position of strength and hope.

The timing could not have been better than now! With new leadership, Rwanda is now prepared and poised to promote reconciliation, regeneration and a new vision for the country. Jack will be a part of that vision by introducing Rwanda as one of the best producers of coffee and tea in the world.

Silverback Coffee is Proudly Black Owned
Proudly black owned.

OUR REGIONS

SILVERBACK COFFEE OF RWANDA’S™ Coffee Flavors are virtually untarnished by modern agriculture techniques, and because it’s exclusively grown on small farms, it’s 100% naturally gown. Most people will not associate the Republic of Rwanda with coffee, but in fact Africa is where the coffee bean originated. With volcanic soils, abundant rainfall and high altitude mountains. Rwanda has some of he best coffee-growing conditions in the world.

The country’s five distinct coffee growing regions include:

Virunga Mountain Region

At elevations of 5,000-7,000 feet, six volcanic peaks on the northwestern tip of the country play host to the famous Silverback mountain gorillas. The climate, offering cool conditions with plenty of sun and rain on rich volcanic soils, allows this coffee to ripen slowly, assuring enriched cherries. This cup dazzles with sweet honey notes, currant, xxxxxxx and a lively acidic punch-line that is suree to leave your palette delighted.

Akagera Region

Located in the southeast region of the country with an elevation of 4,200-5,000 feet and high to mid-lowlands, the Akagera region gives a cup that is extremely bright and fully of berry and spice.

Kivu Lave Region

With an idael climate at an elevation of 4,500-6,000 feet, rolling green hills and volcanic soil, this region yields the most amazing complex coffee yet. This complexity includes both chocolate notes and a jazzy jasmine floral scent. It’s been known to impress even the best connoisseurs in the business.

Kizi Rift Valley Region

Located at an elevation of 6,000-7,000 feet, this region extends from the rainforest of Nyungwe to the grand entrance of the Virunga volcanic mountains. The nutrients in the volcanic soil provide a clean, smooth, balanced pecan and berry matrix bellowing in lovely floral overtones.

Muhazi Lake Region

Sittiing at an elevation oof 4,200-5,000 feet, this rich lake regiono sits to the eastren part of the country and houses tall Arabica Bourbon trees. The pure water and volcanic soils boast a unique blend of teas, spices and cocoa notes.

These five distinct coffee growing regions offer ideal conditions for producing coffees of unsurpassed quality. The high altitude and rich soil from the areas many volcanoes create ideal conditions for producing unsurpassed quality.

benefits of coffee

Antioxidants

Coffee plants contain polyphenolic compounds called flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties important in disease protection. In addition to the compounds found naturally in raw beans, new research has found that additional substances with antioxidant acivity are creaed durinig roasting (1).

(1). Nicoli, M.C. et al. Lebensmittel, Wissenschaft und Technologie, 30, 292-297, 1997; Singhara, A. et al., Presentation at the American Chemical society national meeting, San Francisco, USA, April 1997.

Anxiety Sensitivity

A recent report by researchers att London’s Goldsmith College found hat caffeine actually moderates anxiety in those who are particularly susceptible. Subjects suffering from anxiety sensitivity suffered less negative responses to their condition after consuming coffee (1).

(1). Keogh, E. & Dillon, C. Anxiety Sensitivity, Caffeine and Interpretative Biases (Submitted).

Asthma

Caffeine has long been known to help ashmatics and for many regular coffee consumption assists in moderating asthma attacks. Scientific studies have found that three or more cups of coffee per day significantly reduce the prevalence of asthma (1).

(1). Kivity, S. et al., Chest, 97, 1083-1085, 1990; Pagano R. et al., Chest, 94, 387-389, 1988; Schwartz, J., A.E.P., 2, 627-635, 1992.

Athletic Performance

While it has long been thought that the use of caffeine during exercise might exacerbate dehydration, a recent study has demonstrated that caffeine in drinks taken before moderate exercise did not compromise hydration of the body (1). There is also evidence that caffeine can improve athletic performance in sports such as swimming, cycling, and tennis, and that habitual coffee drinkers perform better in a variety of cognitive performance tests, compared with non-coffee drinkers (2).

(1). Wemple, R.D. et al., International Journal of Sports Medicine, 19, 40-46, 1997.(2). Macintosh, B.R. and Wright, B.M., Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, 20, 168-177, 1995; Pasman, W.J. et al., International Journal of Sports Medicine, 16, 225-230, 1995; Ferrauti, A. et al., Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, xx-66, 1997.

Cirrhosis of the Liver

Research has shown that consumption of coffee has a strong protective effect against cirrhosis of the liver (1). These studies show that drinking 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day resulted in an 80 percent reduction in the risk for cirrhosis of the liver, compared with those who don’t drink coffee at all.

(10. Klatsky and Armstrong, American Journal of Epidemiology, 136, 1248-57, 1992; Corrao et al, European Jouranl of Epidemiology, 10, 657-64, 1994; Sharp et al, Annals of Epidemiology, 9 (7), 391-393, 1999; Nakanishi et al, Individual Health, 38 (1), 99-102, January 2000.

Colon Cancer

There is strong evidence for a protective effect of coffee against the development of colon or colorecttal canceers; one study found that the risk of color cancer was reduced by drinking more than four cups of coffee a day, and that this dosage had no negative effect on the participants (1).

(1). World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans - Coffee, Tea, Mate, Methylxanthines and Methyglyoxal, 51, 1991; Jacobsen, B.K. et al., Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 76, 823-831, 1986; La Vecchia, C. et al., Cancer Research, 49, 1049-1051, 1989; La Vecchia, C. et al., International Journal of Cancer, 41, 492-498, 1988; Kato, I. et al., Japanese Journal of Cancer Research, 81, 1101-1108, 1990; Baron, J.A. et al., Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, 3, 565-570, 1994; Tavani, A. et al., International Journal of Cancer, 73, 193-197, 1997.

Depression

Two studies have found a clear and significant association between coffee drinking and a lower risk of suicide, indicating that coffee drinking may decrease levels of depression (1).

(1). Klatsky, A.L. et al., Annals of Epidemiology, 3, 375-381, 1993; Kawachi, I. et al., Archives of Internal Medicine, 156, 521-525, 1996.

Gallstone Disease

Drinking coffee helps prevent gallstone disease in men. A 10-year study found tha men who drank two to three cups of regular, caffeinated coffee per day had a 40 percent lower risk of developing gallstone disease than men who did not drink regular coffee (1). This rose to a 45 percent lower risk for men who drank four or more cups of regular coffee per day.

(1). Leitzmann, M.F. et al., Journal of the American Medical Association, 281 (22), 2106-2112, 1999.

Heart Disease

Recent studies involving both men and wmoen found no evidence for a link between coffee consumption and heart disease (1), and another study actually fuond a lower rate oof heart disease among coffee consumers than non-consumers. (2).

(1). Grobee, D.E. et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 323, 1026-1032, 1990; Willett, W.C. et al., Journal of the American Medical Assocation, 275, 458-462, 1996. (2). Brown, C.A. et al., Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 47, 171-175, 1993.

Kidney Stones

Intakes of regular and decaffeinated coffee - as little as 8 oz. - decrease the risk of kidney stone formation in men and women more effectively than water, while greater intakes of apple and grapefruit juices are related to increased risk (1).

(1). Curhan, G.C. et al., American Journal of Epidemiology, 143, 240-247, 1996; Curhan, G.C. et al., Annals of Internal Medicine, 128, 534-540, 1998.

Nervous System

Caffeine is a mild stimulan, which acts on the central nervous system and increases metabolic rate. Consumption of caffeine equivalent to that found in a couple of cups of coffee has been shown to improve alertness and enhance concentration. Caffeine can increase the speed of rapid information proocessing by 10 percent (1), and a cup of regular coffee after lunch helps to counteract the normal post-lunch dip in the ability to sustain concentration, aiding alertness (2). Study results clearly demonstrate that caffeinated coffee has a beneficial effec on alertness and improved performance in a variety of tasks in both day and night work sessions (3), and may even remove the malaise (reduced alertness, slower psychomotor performance) associated with having the common cold (4).

(1). Hazenfratz, M. e al., Human Psychopharmacology, 6, 277-284, 1991. (2). Smith, A.P. et al., Neuropsychobiology, 23, 160-163, 1990. (3). Smith, A.P. et al., Neuropsychobiology, 27, 217-223, 1993. (4). Smith, A.P. et al., Journal of Psychopharmacology, 11 (4), 319-324, 1997.

Weight Loss

Caffeine consumption leads to a temporary increase in the metabolic rate and the rate of fat breakdown (lipolysis), and may be of benefit in some weight loss programs (1).

(1). Holland, M.A. et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 34, 2291-2294, 1981; Acheson, J. et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 33, 989-997, 1980; Costill, D.L. et al., Medicine and Science in Sports, 10, 155-158, 1978; Astrup, A. et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 51, 759-767, 1990; Dulloo, A.G., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 49, 44-50, 1989.