Tamu - D.R. of Congo - New

Roast: Light

Notes:Blackberry, dried cherry, cocoa powder, grape

Producer: Regroupement des Agriculteurs du Kivu Cooperative

Importer: Mighty Peace Coffee

Region: Kabare, South Kivu

Variety: Catimor

Processing: Dry-processed (Natural), 100% sun-dried

Dry Mill: Bwengehara

Elevation: 1,600 - 1,800 m

Crop: 2021

A rare appearance from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): organic certified and dry-processed - Tamu. 

Many farmers and cooperatives in DRC consider dry-processed (natural) coffees risky because after investing so many resources in this processing method, they were left hanging by the international buyers who canceled contracts for those coffees. Having its roots in DRC, Mighty Peace Coffee  (MPC) understands the growers’ frustration and hesitance. They have developed a risk-free buying program to encourage this low-impact processing method through which they guarantee to buy the producers’ entire harvest. This program is launched with Tamu coffee. Tamu, Swahili for sweet,  is grown by members of Regroupement des Agriculteurs du Kivu and processed by Bwengehara washing station in South Kivu, not far from Lake Kivu shores.  

Linda Mugaruka, MPC’s Chief Quality Officer and Agronomy Engineer, first connected with the producers behind Tamu through word of mouth. She was seeking to learn more about the communities and cooperatives that had acquired experience with natural processing in the region.  Regroupement des Agriculteurs du Kivu was consistently referred to Linda by many trusted individuals. The co-op’s focus is organic certified and natural processed coffees which minimizes their environmental footprint. It’s a small cooperative with 1,100 members, comparatively speaking other cooperatives that can reach 4,000 to 16,000 members. However, their diligence and experience makes up for the smaller number of farmer members.  

In addition to its experience with natural processing, the team behind Tamu has social impact initiatives in place which needed additional support that Mighty Peace Coffee is well-positioned to  provide: 

• Rehabilitate two clean water sources and repair damaged pipes that were limiting the accessibility of clean water in the community 
• Distribute school supplies to children of all members 
• Lead initiatives to combat child labor in the region