Democratic Republic of Congo Changwe

The coffee growing region of South Kivu is rich in volcanic soils with ideal climates for coffee production. It is known as coffee growing "paradise" yet it is only in recent times that we have seen high quality coffee produced there.  This is mainly due to the bloody colonial history of the DRC which has kept the coffee industry from thriving. That is until recent times when private investors have made a huge impact on improving the production of coffee in the DRC through investing in community washing stations.

After selectively handpicking cherry, farmers deliver their harvest to Changwe station. Cherry is sorted at intake and then pulped. Coffee is then fermented for 9 to 24 hours before being washed in clean water and laid to dry.