110. Dukundekawa Musasa Achieves ISO 9001 certification

Dukundekawa Musasa Achieves ISO 9001 certification

Ruth talks with Ernest

In June 2022, Ruth was visiting the cooperative Dukundekawa Musasa in the Northern Province of Rwanda. Ernest Nshimiyimana, the Managing Director, mentioned that he planned to have the cooperative’s operations certified to the ISO 9001 standard by the end of 2023. In April 2023, they accomplished this goal! They have become one of only two coffee cooperatives in Rwanda to achieve this internationally recognized quality standard. 

Nshimiyimana commented on the new achievement, "Every single day, we’re learning, creating and refining. This is one more objective proof to our staff, partners, clients and the outside world that customer satisfaction is at the core of our business. We are farmers. Buy from a farmer and enjoy the perfections."

Organizations use the ISO 9001:2015 standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements. It is the most popular standard in the ISO 9000 series and the only standard in the series to which organizations can certify.

Artisan is impressed by this accomplishment in the area of quality and organizational management. Up until this time, we have only heard of one other coffee producing group, Daterra Estate in Brazil, that has understood the value of quality systems and international standards well enough to pursue this challenging standard. They achieved ISO 14001, which is the international standard that provides a framework for an effective environmental management system (EMS). It provides a processes an organization can follow, rather than establishing environmental performance requirements. 

Achieving a certification, any certification, is the first and hardest step, but continuing to maintain a certification is the next difficult phase.

Dukundekawa's ISO 9001:2015 certificate - issued 13 Apr 2023

What is ISO?

ISO is the International Organization for Standardization. It is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies) based in Geneva Switzerland. It aims at developing common international standards in many areas. Its purpose is to facilitate International trade by providing a single set of standards that people would recognize and respect. It specifies the requirements for a Quality Management System (QMS) where an organization needs to demonstrate its ability to consistency and aims to enhance customer satisfaction through effective application of Quality systems.