For several years now, Virunga Origins has been offering fair trade and organic chocolate and coffee, produced from A to Z in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the outskirts of the famous eponymous park.
In 2005, Belgian roaster Miko launched a small brand of sustainable and fairtrade coffee: Puro. Almost 20 years later, Puro has become such business success
In June 2022, the TDC team met Joachim Munganga, President of Sopacdi (Solidarité Paysanne pour la Promotion des Actions Café et Développement Intégral), a cooperative of coffee growers in South Kivu. He had just returned from the World of Coffee event organised in Milan by the Specialty Coffee Association. Sopacdi won third place in the competition organised by the SPP label, whose aim is to promote quality coffees from small producers.
In 2002, a number of farmer groups near the Nyungwe Forest in southwest Rwanda set up the coffee cooperative KOAKAKA. Step by step they expanded their organisation to include around 70 collection points where members bring their freshly picked berries, and two washing stations where the first steps of the process take place. With TDC’s coaching in marketing and business support, they managed to have a 69% increase in the sales price.
Ray & Jules combines a desire to improve the world with a background in engineering. “The coffee sector produces 60 million tons of CO2 every year. We want to bring that down to zero. It’s ambitious, but doable. Technology like ours can open up new horizons in a sector that has been doing the same thing for over a hundred years. And with all of the associated consequences”, says co-owner Gert Linthout. Introducing a world-first: using solar energy to roast fairtrade coffee.
Koakaka is a coffee cooperative from Rwanda that produces top quality coffee. Despite this, the cooperative – like many in the region – faced many challenges: demanding buyers, small profit margins and a lack of market knowledge.
In 2016 Koakaka was selected for a coaching module in marketing and in business management of TDC. This gave them all the tools to strengthen their position on the international market. Successfully!
Muungano was coached by the Trade for Development Centre (TDC). After two years of collaboration, Daniel Habamungu, manager of the coffee cooperative, and Belgium’s Raf Van den Bruel take stock of their very valuable experience.
Muungano has just been coached by the Trade for Development Centre (TDC). After two years of working together, Daniel Habamungu, director of the coffee cooperative, and Belgian Raf Van den Bruel sum up a “valuable” experience.
In Burundi, ‘Horamama’ first and foremost brings to mind a traditional song which women sang on their way to the field or on their way home. The word means ‘courage’ or ‘power’ and helps them forget their tiredness. Today, Horamama is also a coffee brand of COCOCA, a union of 39 cooperatives from across the country.
The coffee industry is swimming in paradox. On the one hand, the beverage is more consumed and appreciated than ever before around the world. On the other hand, the remuneration of producers is at its lowest point, so much so that more than half of them now sell the fruits of their labour at a loss…
For several years now, Virunga Origins has been offering fair trade and organic chocolate and coffee, produced from A to Z in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the outskirts of the famous eponymous park.
In 2005, Belgian roaster Miko launched a small brand of sustainable and fairtrade coffee: Puro. Almost 20 years later, Puro has become such business success
In June 2022, the TDC team met Joachim Munganga, President of Sopacdi (Solidarité Paysanne pour la Promotion des Actions Café et Développement Intégral), a cooperative of coffee growers in South Kivu. He had just returned from the World of Coffee event organised in Milan by the Specialty Coffee Association. Sopacdi won third place in the competition organised by the SPP label, whose aim is to promote quality coffees from small producers.
In 2002, a number of farmer groups near the Nyungwe Forest in southwest Rwanda set up the coffee cooperative KOAKAKA. Step by step they expanded their organisation to include around 70 collection points where members bring their freshly picked berries, and two washing stations where the first steps of the process take place. With TDC’s coaching in marketing and business support, they managed to have a 69% increase in the sales price.
Ray & Jules combines a desire to improve the world with a background in engineering. “The coffee sector produces 60 million tons of CO2 every year. We want to bring that down to zero. It’s ambitious, but doable. Technology like ours can open up new horizons in a sector that has been doing the same thing for over a hundred years. And with all of the associated consequences”, says co-owner Gert Linthout. Introducing a world-first: using solar energy to roast fairtrade coffee.
Koakaka is a coffee cooperative from Rwanda that produces top quality coffee. Despite this, the cooperative – like many in the region – faced many challenges: demanding buyers, small profit margins and a lack of market knowledge.
In 2016 Koakaka was selected for a coaching module in marketing and in business management of TDC. This gave them all the tools to strengthen their position on the international market. Successfully!
Muungano was coached by the Trade for Development Centre (TDC). After two years of collaboration, Daniel Habamungu, manager of the coffee cooperative, and Belgium’s Raf Van den Bruel take stock of their very valuable experience.
Muungano has just been coached by the Trade for Development Centre (TDC). After two years of working together, Daniel Habamungu, director of the coffee cooperative, and Belgian Raf Van den Bruel sum up a “valuable” experience.
In Burundi, ‘Horamama’ first and foremost brings to mind a traditional song which women sang on their way to the field or on their way home. The word means ‘courage’ or ‘power’ and helps them forget their tiredness. Today, Horamama is also a coffee brand of COCOCA, a union of 39 cooperatives from across the country.
The coffee industry is swimming in paradox. On the one hand, the beverage is more consumed and appreciated than ever before around the world. On the other hand, the remuneration of producers is at its lowest point, so much so that more than half of them now sell the fruits of their labour at a loss…
