The Karawa Coffee Project seeks to
reduce extreme poverty,
enhance food security, and
build the economy
through the revitalization of coffee production
and export in the Karawa region of northwest DR Congo.
Why Coffee?
To understand why PCP would engage in the revitalization of coffee in DR Congo, you must begin with its history.
Robusta
Robusta coffee (coffea canephora) consumption around the world is currently at about 30%, and is primarily used in instant coffees and blends. Robusta is grown in lower altitudes, and can withstand warmer temperatures than Arabica. It is more resistant to disease, and easier to grow. Robusta has a distinctive taste and contains 50-60% more caffeine than Arabica.
How Does It Work?
Paul Carlson Partnership, Café Africa, and the Covenant Church of Congo are working together in a three-way partnership to create a coffee producing and exporting enterprise that will endure through generations.
Partnership Roles
- PCP is funding the initial stages of the project, beginning with purchasing disease-resistant robusta seedlings and other materials needed to ensure the producers have the proper equipment and tools for agriculture training.
- Café Africa, a NGO based in DR Congo, are the coffee experts who are training the producers in Karawa how to successfully plant, nurture, harvest, and export Robusta coffee.
- The Covenant Church of Congo (CEUM) is our long-term partner and coffee producers are members of the church.
Karawa Coffee Associations
The entire project is designed to be 100% owned by the coffee producers. This will be achieved in part through training in good agricultural practices, and in part by organizing the producers into a cooperative or association in order to provide long-term support for export and other services, and to safeguard producer interests in the marketing of their crops. By training and equipping people to grow coffee, the local economy can be revitalized, increasing the livelihoods of thousands of families in the area.
Timeline
Project Launched
The Karawa Coffee Project was launched in
Karawa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Seed Planting & Nurturing
Coffee producers organized into associations of 20-40 people in four areas. 900,000 seeds germinated, nurtured, and transferred into nurseries.
Nurturing and Preparing
Coffee producers continue to nurture the plants and prepare the fields for transfer.
We partnered with Everybody’s Coffee to roast the first small harvest of coffee from rejuvenated coffee plants. At Midwinter 2020, we shared the first taste of Karawa Coffee!
- Two years after planting the coffee seedlings, coffee producers are now witnessing the first appearance of coffee cherries!
- Producers are, on average, over 90% finished with their spring maintenance and growth protocols for their fields.
- Of the 1,304 fields in the project, 803 (62%) have been geo-localized using GPS. This provides exact point of origin information for the producer and his/her yield, which we will be able to share with consumers in the days ahead.
April 2020
Estimated 600 metric tons of Robusta produced.
Estimated 750 metric tons of Robusta produced.
Estimated 1,000 metric tons of Robusta produced.
Karawa Coffee Correspondents
We are developing a new volunteer program for people who:
- love coffee
- love Congo
- are passionate about long-term growth
- are willing to learn
- want to join in God’s holistic mission
If this describes you or someone you know, the Karawa Coffee Correspondent volunteer program might be a perfect fit! Fill out the form to the right and we will send you more information when the program is available.
Coffee Roasters & Retailers
Are you a coffee roaster or retailer who is interested in learning more about how you can roast and sell Karawa coffee? We are expecting a small harvest in Fall 2019 and are currently looking for roasters who would like to get involved.
Contact us through the form on the right and we’ll be in touch.
Sign Up for our Emails
Give to Keep the Coffee Growing
Join us and support the coffee farmers as they learn good agriculture practices, plant seedlings, maintain nurseries, and cultivate Robusta coffee in their villages.
ARTICLES & STORIES
April 22, 2020
Two years after planting the coffee seedlings, coffee producers are now witnessing the first appearance of coffee cherries! Other highlights are…
April 22, 2020
Ngandali remembers how her father once planted coffee. It wasn’t until she heard about the Karawa Coffee Project that she could start resupplying her land with the kinds of coffee plants she once knew in her childhood.
Robusta Coffee in the Democratic Republic of Congo
by Kambale Kisumba Kamungele, Executive Director of Café Africa DRC
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