Description
CONGO VIRUNGA GORILLA
The Virunga National Park Coffee Project is a program that designed to boost the livelihoods of more than 7,000 coffee farming families living on the border of the park. The project, which is financed by the European Union, involves strengthening the business of the cooperatives and their members at each level, from farm management to processing and business systems, while building a strong profile and presence in international markets. The project approach is based on implementing a holistic and sustainable farming model, including crop diversification, establishing a balance between food security and cash generation. The programme includes training on good agricultural practices and the establishment of nurseries for coffee as well as other trees.
Kawa Kanzururu Cooperative has a strong women’s section. These women organize leadership training and run some of the cooperatives’ coffee washing stations. For the first time in 2020 it is possible to buy Congo coffee grown and processed by female coffee farmers.
Established in 1925, the Virunga National Park is the oldest national park in Africa and one of the last refuges of the mountain gorilla. It is also home to highly endangered lowland gorillas as well as elephants, chimpanzees, lions, leopards, antelopes, and the most diverse collection of birds in the world. Due to its situation in eastern DR Congo, the park faces many existential challenges.
The Virunga National Park is bordered by Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and occupies the Semliki River Valley in the 140 km stretch between lakes Edward and Albert in the westernmost arm of the Great Rift Valley. Cocoa and palm oil are also grown in the lower zones, and new crops such as chia seed are also starting to take root. The conditions here are ideal for growing coffee: deep, fertile, volcanic soil, high altitude and adequate rainfall.
Product image by: Tudor Clee via Flickr
COFFEE STATS
Acidity: Bright
Body: Medium
Altitude: 1000-2000 masl
Process: Washed
Varietal: Blue Mountain, Rumangabo
Producers: Kawa Kanzururu Cooperative
What We Taste: Tropical Fruit, Brown Sugar, Dark Chocolate
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