Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mapendo, meaning "love" in Swahili, is grown by 4,200 farmers, nearly 40% of whom are women. The coffee is fully washed and Fair Trade Organic certified since 2009. There are three washing stations, with a fourth and a new cupping lab under construction.

Fikiri Charlotte, a farmer, has benefited from coffee farming by buying a goat for breeding, building a house, and expanding her farm with more coffee trees. The goat’s manure helps fertilize her fields, enhancing the farm’s ecosystem.

The Cooperative Agricole Muungano, founded in 2009, empowers smallholder producers in South and North Kivu by improving coffee quality, sharing resources, and reducing smuggling. It currently has 4,200 members, including 1,736 women.