Farm info

In July 2014 the producers in the Lubero and Bashu regions of North Kivu founded the Cooperative Kawa Kabuya to restore hope to the coffee chain in a region of the country where the agricultural sector was experiencing constant deterioration due to civil war. Kawa Kabuya’s administrative office is in the town of Butembo, Lumumba district. When the co-op first opened, it produced a single container of commercial quality and over the course of the last three years has grown to this year producing three containers of specialty coffee and additional containers of commercial quality. Beginning with 13 micro washing stations, Cooperative Kawa Kabuya today has 36 operational locations and another 58 are under construction. The increase in washing stations leads to more timely coffee processing, which in turn improves the overall quality of coffee. Kawa Kabuya coffees have earned top scores in several African Fine Coffees Association Taste of Harvest competitions. Cooperative washing stations create full time and seasonal employment for local youth and rejuvenate the coffee sector by offering a variety of jobs.

Region

The North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo lies along the western shores of Lake Edouard, bordering Uganda. Much of North Kivu belongs to the Virunga National Park, an expansive area dedicated to preserving flora and fauna biodiversity and known as home to gorillas and other impressive wildlife. The natural resources of the region include the fertile soil of the mountains bordering the park, where coffee and other crops are grown. Because producers in this region grow such small quantities of coffee, organization into cooperatives is essential for specialty coffee to be a reality.

Micro washing stations facilitate delivery of cherries, involving both male and female producers and hiring women and men as washing station managers. Like so many coffee producing origins, Democratic Republic of the Congo has experienced violent civil war leading to disruption of agricultural supply chains and resulting in land abandonment and crop smuggling. Establishing coffee agriculture, through educational and infrastructural resources, as a reliable revenue source contributes to regional revitalization.