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MUUNGANO is an organic, fair-trade Arabica coffee cooperative that produces some of the world’s finest gourmet coffee. It sources its coffee cherries from over 4,000 growers in South Kivu, on the shores of Lake Kivu at altitudes of between 1,400 and 2,500 meters. It processes the cherries into parchment, then green coffee in Goma, before exporting 95% of its production to the United States and Europe at high prices.
The DRC, with an area the size of Western Europe, is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa. It has exceptional natural resources, but remains one of the five poorest nations in the world. Kivu in particular is in a particularly difficult situation, with limited infrastructure, major transport problems, chronic insecurity in the region, and the area’s vulnerability to climate change.
Muungano is an agricultural cooperative with a very strong social and environmental impact for its members and for the development of the region. It supplies a highly sought-after gourmet coffee, sold at a better price to boost the incomes of producers and their families. In addition to organic certification, Muungano encourages the use of more resilient cultivation practices that regenerate the soil. Premiums from certification are used for productive investment and to fund community projects.
