Organic Project Congo Muungano

In Swahili, Muungano means "togetherness," and it is a guiding principle for the farmers of the Muungano Coffee Cooperative. For many years, the people of eastern Congo - Bahunde, Bahavu, Bashi, Batembo, and Rwandan Congolese - were divided by war but, through Muungano, they are once again working as one to create a brighter future for their people. The cooperative has grown from 350 founding members in 2009 to more than 4,300 members with many more farmers committed to joining. Muungano's farmers have the perfect conditions to produce top-grade specialty coffee and are wholly committed to fulfilling that potential. They've invested in coffee nurseries and micro-washing stations. In 2013, they built a coffee cupping laboratory, which aides in quality control from seed to green bean. Since the cooperative's inception, farmers have tended their land naturally using homemade compost and mulch, but this harvest is the first that the cooperative is offically certified organic. With coffee plants growing among homes in their villages, they see the importance of the industry to the local environment as well as to the health of their citizens. Farmers are also taking measures to combat the risk of landslides in heavy rain by planting trees with deep roots that will strengthen the soil structure. This is among the best, if not the best, Congolese coffee we've tasted. We're elated to be working with Muungano. Project Congo is a part of our continued collaboration with our friends at On The Ground, a non-profit working on community development projects in coffee growing regions. Through our Project Congo initiative, we donate $1 for every pound sold of this exceptional Congolese coffee. The funds are used to promote and raise awareness of gender equality in the farming regions of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. For more information about Project Congo, please visit our blog at kickapoocoffee.com/projectcongo.