DR Congo Kivu

  PROCESS: WashedVARIETY: Bourbon, Caturra, CatuaiELEVATION: 1,600-1,800 metersROAST: MediumBODY: BalancedNOTES: Tart and sweet with a smooth mouthfeel, cucumber, and cocoa flavors SOPACDI coffee co-op (Solidarité Paysanne pour la Promotion des Actions Café et Développement Intégral) is a 1st grade cooperative group based in the provinces of North and South Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). SOPACDI was founded in 2001 but due to turmoil in the region, production could not begin until 2008. Peace and stability has returned, allowing the cooperative to blossom from 19 founding members to a membership that now totals over 5,300 producers. SOPACDI’s members are grouped into 43 “cells” spread across 8 sectors in eastern Congo. Women make up 29% of the membership, and they were Fairtrade certified in 2011.The cooperative was created to enable local producers to unite together and commercialize their coffee for direct collective international export, instead of having to