We’re pleased to introduce a coffee shaped by the strength of working together. From the shores of Lake Kivu in eastern DR Congo, Muungano Cooperative brings together thousands of smallholder farmers building a brighter future for their communities, one harvest at a time.

In 2009, 350 coffee farmers in eastern DR Congo came together around a shared idea: working side by side could create a better future for their communities.

They named their cooperative Muungano, the Swahili word for togetherness. Its founding members each farmed just 0.3 to 0.75 hectares. Today, more than 4,300 farmers grow coffee on the slopes near Lake Kivu.

For years, conflict divided communities in the region. Some farmers carried their coffee across Lake Kivu at night to sell it in Rwanda for a better price, risking drowning and death along the way.
By joining forces, Muungano’s members have improved coffee quality, gained better prices, and made the journey from farm to market safer. Their cooperative brings together farmers from communities including the Bahunde, Bahavu, Bashi, Batembo, and Congolese of Rwandan origin.

Muungano’s washing stations collect and process coffee cherries from members. The larger facilities are in Kiniezire, Buchiro, Butumba, and Nyabirehe; smaller micro washing stations operate in Karango, Chebumba, and Bishange. Around five percent of members process their coffee themselves.
Kiniezire is also home to the cooperative’s cupping lab. A team of 17 agronomists supports farmers, while documentation officers and supervisors help manage the certifications and environmental accreditations Muungano holds.

Muungano’s work extends beyond coffee. Fairtrade premiums have helped fund a hydroelectric plant that supplies electricity to neighbouring communities, as well as a medical centre, schools, and bridges.
In 2023, the cooperative bought a dry mill in Goma, which runs on solar power. It’s another step towards processing coffee locally while reducing the cooperative’s carbon footprint.
From 350 founding members to more than 4,300 farmers today, Muungano shows what can happen when people come together, with better coffee and stronger communities growing side by side.

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