Nespresso and Olam Food Ingredients join alliance to regenerate coffee production in war-torn DRC

20 Oct 2021 --- The Gorilla Coffee Alliance, established by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with Nespresso and Olam Food Ingredients (OFI) and others, will mentor 8,500 farmers in South Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to maximize their coffee production and sales by 2026. 

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, about what makes the region an ideal coffee-producing spot, Vivek Verma, managing director and CEO of coffee for OFI, says: “The land provides an ideal environment for specialty arabica cultivation, with ideal temperatures, lots of sunshine and rainfall.”

It also has a high altitude and rich, fertile volcanic soils. “These natural conditions give exceptional qualities to the coffees produced in the area, including balanced body, high acidity, as well as fruity and juicy notes,” Verma explains. 

Roughly 40 to 45 containers per year are produced in the whole region of South Kivu. 

Participating coffee washing stations are expected to double their capacity in the next five years. 

The initiative aims to regenerate coffee production in regions impacted by adversities, including climate change and conflict. 

Paul Sabatine, director of USAID DRC Mission, describes the launch as “a critical milestone” for the US government’s partnership with the Congolese people. The association is the product of more than a decade of investment in working alongside these farmers to replant coffee trees in a region ravaged by conflict.

The new Gorilla Coffee Alliance sets out to assist farming households in boosting their coffee production and sales.Nurturing coffee seedlings to improve production 
South Kivu’s climate is well-suited for growing coffee, leading to an increase in the production of specialty coffee markets there. The Gorilla Coffee Alliance, which also includes collaborators TechnoServe, Wildlife Conservation Society and Asili, will train farmers in regenerative agriculture. 

It will help entrepreneurs and farmers set up nurseries to produce premium coffee and shade tree seedlings.

The newly formed alliance will work with coffee washing stations to give farmers finance and technical assistance access. Agronomists will provide field training to coffee farmers through the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program. 

“For example, agronomists will help ensure the right varieties are planted, and the Alliance will ensure healthy planting material and good crop management and harvesting methods,” Verma adds.

The alliance has a “whole farm approach” which focuses on farmers, their communities and the environment in which they live and work.

“The agronomists will also help coffee farmers to adopt more sustainable and regenerative farming practices, as well as providing processing training and support of coffee washing stations,” he notes. 

Coffee production is being used to uplift rural communities financially and as a tool for the conservation of pristine natural environments.Rejuvenating livelihoods of coffee farmers
The formation of the USAID Gorilla Coffee Alliance seeks to create a robust coffee sector in South Kivu. 

“This (alliance formation) will help increase incomes and produce a cycle of conservation by incentivizing the protection of forest habitats and building local capacity for landscape transformation,” highlights Verma. 

“The Alliance will also promote sustainable agricultural practices on smallholder coffee farms and support enterprises that incentivize conservation action.” 

The initiative will focus on building the capacity of coffee washing stations to meet buyer quality requirements. 

The formation of the Gorilla Coffee Alliance works in concert with Nespresso’s Reviving Origins program launched in 2020. The Kahawa ya Congo range is sourced from rain-rich volcanic soils along the shore of Lake Kivu in the DRC. 

Guillaume Le Cunff, chief executive officer of Nespresso, says: “We have been working to successfully revitalize production in several challenged coffee-producing regions around the world since 2019.” 

“We believe that coffee can be a force for good because it can help to shape communities and preserve landscapes, leaving a positive impact on the lives of people and nature,” he underscores.

One of the Reviving Origins program incentives is to provide improved access to clean water and health services to growers of the crop while helping guide farmers through sustainable practices. 

The launch was spearheaded by collaborating with Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), TechnoServe and OFI, through Virunga Coffee Company.

The initiative will focus on building the capacity of coffee washing stations to meet buyer quality requirements. Conservation meets social responsibility
Kahuzi-Biega National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the few remaining habitats of the world’s 6,800 estimated remaining eastern lowland, Grauer’s gorillas.

Political unrest, population growth and the absence of sustainable economic opportunities have put the national park and its wildlife at risk from illegal logging, poaching and mining.

Farmers around the national park struggle to access training, coffee seedlings and shade trees needed to improve their coffee production. Many local coffee washing stations do not have enough capacity or technical ability to process locally grown coffee adequately.

The Gorilla Coffee Alliance will address these issues directly by helping local families to establish environmentally sustainable ways to earn income, improving access to essential health services. 

Another imperative of the alliance is to stimulate community institutions to look after the national park and reduce poaching of the Grauer’s gorilla and deforestation around the national park.

By Inga de Jong