Lake Kivu in Nyamasheke district, Rwanda.

EUDR-Compliant Coffee

First EUDR-Compliant Container from Rwanda

All steps necessary to import your coffee safely

Our first EUDR-compliant container, shipped in collaboration with Muraho Trading Company, is not just a key milestone in our road towards the new regulation implementation but also a story of partnership. It highlights the extra work required, the challenges along the way, and the opportunities this regulation can bring for producers, exporters, and importers alike.

In the following sections, we will share experiences from Muraho’s and Trabocca’s perspective of adapting to EUDR.

Who is Muraho?

Since 2022, Muraho has been supplying us with coffees from the Nyamasheke area surrounding Lake Kivu. Although a newer relationship, we have already built a close partnership around quality, traceability, and mutual learning. Their commitment and proactive mindset made them the ideal partner for piloting our first EUDR-compliant container, which is now available for purchase.

What is EUDR?

From 31 December 2025, all coffee imported into the EU must be proven deforestation-free, produced legally, and traceable to farm plots. For importers and smallholder producers, this means new levels of data collection, verification, and compliance work. For details see our dedicated EUDR page.

Experiences from Muraho in Rwanda

Reassurance and uncertainty

Adapting to EUDR in Rwanda came with a mix of reassurance and uncertainty. As Julia, Sustainability Manager at Muraho, put it, “Overall, I think it is great that more importance is given to our forests, especially looking at the increasing climate change challenges we are facing globally.” Coffee in Rwanda is mostly produced by smallholder farmers on tiny plots. The country also has strict national forest protection laws. This combination meant that the risk of recent deforestation was low. However, Julia recalled: “No one really knew how the regulation would be implemented. We had no prior GPS data collection experience, no devices, no trained staff. The lack of guidance left producers and exporters unsure how to meet the new requirements with their limited resources.

Tackling geolocation data collection

The lack of guidance left producers and exporters unsure how to meet the new requirements with their limited resources. Building on its digital cherry purchase system, Muraho began mapping farmers over several harvests. They also required partners to sign NDAs to protect sensitive data. Julia explained: “We decided to take responsibility and ensure that the data of our farmers would be shared and managed appropriately.”

Training and capacity building

To achieve this, Muraho deployed additional staff and smartphones. Trabocca supported the process by providing tools to analyze the data. Yet, internet connectivity remained a major obstacle. GPS capture was inconsistent in rural areas, but training sessions and workshops helped managers and staff adapt. Leon, Operations & Sustainability Officer at Muraho, noted: “Collecting GPS data was challenging because the apps we use require an internet connection, whereas many farms are in areas with little or no coverage.”

A shift in mindset

Through this process, EUDR also encouraged a new mindset. Training sessions raised awareness about sustainable land use, climate change, and the broader importance of traceability. Joseph, Manager at Cyesha, shared: “EUDR raised awareness of sustainable land use practices and the need to engage communities in protecting forests.” Farmers highlighted the importance of forest management for reducing erosion, supporting rainfall, and maintaining grazing areas for cattle. For Josue, Manager at Rugali, compliance underlined the value of traceability: “Providing geolocation data for every farm helps us demonstrate that our coffee is truly traceable and produced responsibly.”

Reforestation for anti-erosion practices

At Gisheke Station, Alphonse described how the regulation motivated his community to strengthen reforestation and agroforestry. He also noted a stronger emphasis on soil protection. For example, farmers now apply compost manure to increase yields on small plots. This reduces the pressure to clear new land. At the same time, they fight erosion by investing in terraces, barriers, and other anti-erosion practices.

Opportunities beyond compliance

Despite the additional workload, Muraho recognized new opportunities. Compliance strengthened trust with importers, secured EU market access, and highlighted their role as responsible producers. Julia summarized: “Compliance positions us strongly in the EU market. Early adopters can differentiate as responsible suppliers. It builds trust with communities, importers, consumers, and regulators.”

Proactive Approach

In addition, the company looks beyond deforestation-free supply chains. They focus on reducing waste and water use, improving labor conditions, and promoting regenerative farming practices. Taken together, these experiences show that EUDR compliance requires significant extra work and investment at origin. However, it also creates opportunities for recognition, resilience, and long-term sustainability.

Osapiens Digital Compliance

To manage compliance efficiently, we partnered with Osapiens, whose digital platform allows suppliers to submit data directly and enables Trabocca to verify it. Coffee suppliers first need to register in the Osapiens tool before they can begin submitting farmer data and responding to Trabocca’s requests, such as questionnaires or mitigative evidence. The EUDR module in the platform helps us assess potential risks related to deforestation and legality for every delivery. When risks are deemed negligible, we submit our Due Diligence Statement to TRACES—directly through the Osapiens interface. This process reduces manual work, improves accuracy, and creates a standardized link between suppliers, importers, and EU authorities.

  • Each supplier registers on the Osapiens portal.
  • Farmer geodata and questionnaires are submitted, then assessed.
  • When purchase orders are placed, data is rechecked at batch level.
  • Through Osapiens’ Trabocca submits the DDS to TRACES for each shipment.
Sustainability Officer collecting GPS Data for Washing Station in Nyamashek, Rwanda.

Setting up Osapiens

Internal and external coordination

Reaching this point, however, was not a simple switch. It was the result of a long and demanding implementation journey. “The Osapiens software had to be customized with our due diligence criteria, and its integration with our internal IT systems required multiple iterations of building, testing, and refining.” explains Paul-Leyer Pritzkow, our Sustainability Specialist. Throughout this process, we worked closely with the Osapiens team, continuously improving the setup to cover every possible scenario and ensure smooth functionality. Each time the EU released new guidance, further adaptations were needed and promptly implemented. 

“All the work put in, is paying off.”

Meanwhile, we also had to support our suppliers, guiding them through technical onboarding, data submission, and familiarization with the tool. This double effort, internal and external, demanded persistence and a lot of coordination across all sides. “Now, looking back, all the work put in is paying off.” says Paul. “With our first fully end-to-end compliance process completed, we are proud to see EUDR-compliant coffee successfully shipped to the EU. This milestone is both the outcome of months of preparation of our suppliers at origin and of our system and will be the foundation for all future shipments.”

Final Steps: Delivering the DDS

Reference number with every batch

Once a DDS is submitted via Osapiens into TRACES, the reference number and verification code flow back into our ERP system. This ensures each batch is linked to its compliance record.
The DDS numbers references will appear on delivery notes and invoices for every batch, making sure that compliance documents are transparently passed on and easy to track.

Conclusion

Our first EUDR-compliant container from Rwanda, imported together with Muraho and supported by Osapiens’ digital compliance platform, demonstrates what it takes to turn regulation into practice. The process has been demanding: producers risk losing access to the EU market, and exporters and importers must invest significant additional effort to build the systems that safeguard that access. At the same time, this work shows how EUDR can strengthen trust, highlight producer commitment, and secure continued participation in the EU market.

Secure EUDR-ready coffee now

Have questions about EUDR compliance or want to experience these coffees? Reach out to our team and explore our Rugali, Cyesha, and Nyamasheke Hills coffees—part of our very first EUDR-compliant container from Rwanda.