Congo - Women Coffee Producers

Tasting Notes: Slighty fruity, lighter bodied with tart acidity.

Country: The Democratic Republic of Congo

Region: Idjwi Island, Kivu

Farm: Rebuild Women's Hope Cooperative

Certification at Origin: Organic

Variety:Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai

Altitude: 1,500 - 2,000 masl

Processing: Fully washed and sun-dried

Background from our importer: 

This offering comes from the women coffee producers of Idjwi Island who are members of the cooperative Rebuild Women's Hope (RWH). RWH was founded in 2013 by Marcelline Budza with the goals of fighting the inequalities that women in agriculture face and supporting the health and empowerment of women and girls. The coop helps women take charge of their lives through entrepreneurship and self-reliance. It's the group's mission “to give women back their voice by placing them at the center of all integral development, in particular, economic empowerment and autonomy. We believe that income controlled by women has a significant impact on the life of the family, including the development and well-being of the community.”

Women have faced significant challenges both in their communities and in the coffee industry in the DRC. There is a general culture of socio-economic discrimination against women, and they often were refused the right to income from coffee as it was considered a man's crop. Women were also denied access to land and land inheritance. In their communities, challenges include the underdevelopment of villages, lack of drinking water, lack of access to quality healthcare, and high illiteracy rates among women and the elderly.

The island of Idjwi is located in the middle of Lake Kivu along the border of Rwanda. Coffee has long been the island's main source of income, but producers there have consistently struggled to sell their coffee. The creation of cooperatives like RWH has completely changed the situation and opened the door to new opportunities for producers on Idjwi and the DRC, especially for women.