Congo Mapendo

Coffee is an important economic driver for many living in remote rural areas throughout East Africa, and Congo specifically. Our supplier Mighty Peace Coffee shares Fikiri Charlotte’s story and how her life has been positively impacted by growing coffee: "Coffee allowed her to buy a goat for breeding, build a house, and buy another field where she’s planted coffee trees. With the manure produced by the goat, she’s able to strengthen the ecosystem of her farm through the fertilization of the fields."

The success of Mapendo is evident in the infrastructure they have developed. They operate 3 washing stations, with a fourth under construction along with a modern lab for cupping and quality control. With 4,200 members within the Mapendo cooperative, multiple washing stations mean that individual farmers don’t have to travel as far to deliver their coffee - freeing up valuable time in their lives.

Over 40% of the producers of Mapendo are women, many of whom are widows as a result of the conflicts that have been going on since the 1990s. Coffee provides critical economic opportunity for these farmers who continue to pursue activities with long-term impacts on their prosperity including forming the cooperative and obtaining Fair Trade Organic certification.

Mapendo means love in Swahili, making this delicious coffee aptly named. This is the first we have offered from Congo, and our first time partnering with Mighty Peace Coffee. Their stated mission is to “provide coffee connoisseurs, specialty enthusiasts, and ethical businesses with the highest quality coffee while sharing the stories of Congolese friends and partners to inspire, educate, and end poverty, injustice, and conflict worldwide”.

This lot was made possible by over 4,200 small-holder farmers, 40% of which is women run. The harvest from these farmers was processed locally at one of three washing stations. Traditionally many of these coffees were smuggled to bordering Rwanda, creating great personal risk for farmers and severely limiting the positive economic impact from coffee production. Empowered by Mighty Peace and local washing stations, this washed and parchment-dried coffee, with both dry and wet fermentations, is a key part of our Radiant Coffee lineup. As you sip on this coffee to brighten the morning, you’ll experience notes of black currant, lemon zest, and honey.

• Cooperative: Mapendo
• Region: Kalehe
• Variety: SL-34
• Processing: Washed
• Altitude: 1,480 - 2,000 meters

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