DR CONGO ORGANIC KIVU GORILLA BLEND

Flavor notes: dried cherry, fig, red currant, pomegranate

The farming community in the North Kivu region of DR Congo has become accustomed to adversity. Armed incursion, corruption and disease are part of everyday life, but in coffee they see hope. Coffee is one of the only cash crops these producers grow. It puts money on the table, brings stability to the community and enables farmers to plan.

Located at the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, the Kivu area is home to coffees with stunning cup profiles. While the area is subject to on-going conflicts, a cooperation between coffee farmers, Farm Africa and the Virunga National Park is encouraging peace through the growing of specialty coffee. Established in 1925, the Virunga National Park is the oldest national park in Africa and one of the last refuges of the mountain gorilla. It is also home to highly endangered lowland gorillas as well as elephants, chimpanzees, lions, leopards, antelopes, and the most diverse collection of birds in the world. Due to its situation in eastern DR Congo, the park faces many existential challenges.

For Virunga National Park, the conservation of its extraordinary wildlife goes hand in hand with the promotion of the social and economic well-being of the people of North Kivu, who live around the park. Through the Virunga Alliance, which is supported by the provincial authorities, civil society and the private sector, the national park is investing in a number of initiatives to promote economic regeneration – including a major agriculture program with the vision of boosting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers who live around the park. They are doing this by investing in the production and marketing of their food and cash crops, including coffee. In this way, the pressures on farmers to encroach on the park to extract wood for charcoal will be reduced and farmers will see benefits from the park’s presence.

This coffee’s cup profile is indeed stunning!  Enjoy a heavy body, medium acidity, and tasting notes of dried cherry, fig, red currant, pomegranate, and brown sugar.

*Generally, orders are roasted the following Monday and shipped out (or available for pickup) the next day. Buy 3 bags and get $3 shipping!