We work with 14 partners worldwide, from who we source our coffee. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, we work together with Rebuild Womens’ Hope. On this page you can find everything you need to know about this collaboration.

THE

COUNTRY.

Democratic Republic of Congo is a country of sharp contrast. Lovely people and amazing nature and culture on the one hand. Civil war and conflict, illegal mining and an amazingly troubled colonial history on the other. DRC is home to the biggest tropical rainforest in Africa and is only surpassed by the Amazon rainforest. In the east of the country near the border of South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda the highlands are perfect for growing coffee. However, it’s virtually impossible for the industry to mature and compete with other East African origins due to the ongoing unrest in the Kivu area where over 150 different rebel groups fight over power and access to natural resources.

THE

COFFEE.

In the middle of Lake Kivu lies Idjwi Island. It is there that thousands of internally displaced farmers have turned to coffee farming as a way out of the cycle of violence that grips the main land of East DRC. The conditions (climate, altitude and soil type) make the island perfect for specialty coffee production. The coffee “washed” meaning the bean is taken out of the cerry when fresh and after fermentation is soaked in a basin and washed after which the coffee is dried in the sun. The coffee is full bodied and has taste notes of kaki fruit, cardamom and cola.

OUR

PARTNERSHIP.

On Idjwi Island the coffee processing and export are facilitated by Rebuild Womens’ Hope, a cooperative and social enterprise that is, as the name explains, focused on giving women farmers on the island a better future through coffee. The cooperative also has male farmers but the majority are female. After paying farmers a good price for the coffee, the remainder of the profit is used for community investments such as a recently opened maternity hospital.

THE

CHANGEMAKER.

Marceline and Bertin are famous. On Idjwi Island as well as amongst Wakuli lovers. In some ways DRC is the easiest origin for Wakuli. Because just by buying as much coffee as we can we support Marceline and Bertin to do amazing things with Rebuild Womens. Hope. Besides providing a stable source of income through direct export of their amazing coffee, produced by predominantly women farmers, they work on healthcare as well as a better position for women throughout their enterprise. So a cooperative led by women, selling coffee produced by women. For us -doing business from the safety of our Amsterdam based company- it is humbling to see the true entrepreneurship, exhibited under the most challenging circumstances imaginable, by our changemaking partners on Idjwi Island!

SOME NUMBERS.

1.499

Farmers

2021

Partnership since

25.140

Total KGs sourced since start of partnership

OUR DRC COFFEE

Our DRC coffee is a component of the Powerhouse Blend. A super user friendly blend perfect for full automatic machines as well as traditional espresso machines. It gives the blend its fruity kick. We also offer the coffee once a year as our Discover Monthly. Because coffee is a seasonal product in every producing country and logistics are sensitive to changes, the exact timing of the offer is hard to predict. So keep your eyes open for our offers.