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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2008
(Revised from original 2006 version)
Rwanda and the Thousand Hills Coffee Co.: Breaking New Grounds
by
Geoffrey G. Jones and Michelle McDonald
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Abstract
Examines the strategies of a Boston-based start-up to market Rwandan coffee. Describes the history of the coffee industry, the era of cartelization and the International Coffee Agreement, and the subsequent collapse in producer prices after 1989. Also describes the various options open to coffee producers, including recartelization, diversification, fair trade, and selling to boutique markets, the strategy of the Thousand Hills Coffee Co.
Keywords: History;
Marketing Strategy;
Entrepreneurship;
Business Startups;
Food and Beverage Industry;
Rwanda;
Boston;