One of the key themes that we have always promoted and supported through Coffee Magazine over the past decade has been the welfare of coffee farmers and baristas in our community. So we were thrilled to receive news from our local Nespresso representatives in SA that Nespresso were launching a DRC release as part of the "Reviving Origins" programme, which is helping revitalize some of the most fragile coffee farming communities in Africa and South America.
We were sent 2 of the existing products of the Reviving Origins programme, Uganda and Zimbabwe, and the new DRC release to taste and test in the Coffee Mag test kitchen.
The packaging is really beautiful, using traditional African prints on the outside and giving a map of the Origin, the number of Farmers in the programme and a QR code for you to learn more, on the inside.
The Reviving Origins KAHAWA ya CONGO coffee (“Hope of Congo”) from Nespresso is a smooth and fruity seasonal blend, grown on the rain-rich volcanic soils of Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where the once-thriving coffee farming community has been devastated by decades of political and economic instability.
The KAHAWA ya CONGO coffee is the first organic blend in Nespresso’s Reviving Origins programme, its long-term approach to restore coffee production in regions impacted by adversities such as conflict, economic hardship, and environmental disasters. Since its launch in 2019, the programme has enabled production of exceptional coffees from challenged areas of Zimbabwe, Uganda, Colombia and now, the DRC, to become available as seasonal coffees for Nespresso coffee lovers. The brand’s unique sustainable sourcing model in coffee producing countries, the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program, provides the foundation for its work in Reviving Origins regions and involves more than 110,000 farmers across the world.
We tasted all three of the flavours and they each have a unique and distinct flavour profile. The Congo in particular was delicious!
Yassir Corpataux, MEA Coffee Ambassador said: “We’re delighted to introduce one of the world’s finest and most exclusive blends to consumers. Through our Reviving Origins programme, we’re helping the farmers of Kivu to restore Congolese coffee to its full glory and rebuild their livelihoods, while bringing vital social support to enhance the welfare of the communities behind our KAHAWA ya CONGO coffee. With this blend, consumers can enjoy a truly unique taste experience, and play an important role in reviving coffee and communities in DRC after decades of conflict and economic instability.”
Fast, convenient and easy - Nespresso is a way of life for many coffee lovers - now you can support a worthy cause while getting your daily fix with the Reviving Origins pods.
Nespresso, together with global non-profit TechnoServe, the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) and coffee trader Virunga Coffee/Olam International, are working with 2,500 farmers in South Kivu to improve coffee quality and yield, and embed sustainable farming practices, while increasing incomes. Nespresso is also in the process of expanding the program across North Kivu to potentially include up to 1,700 organic certified farmers.
Kivu coffee farmer, Turanyi Kabasura, said: “I see my remaining days being better than those in the past, because I am going to work, assured of receiving regular pay and a bonus each time after the coffee sale. In my whole life, no one has ever given me such a bonus. I can use that to develop other strategies, such as raising small livestock, or my wife can run a small business. I am starting to see the results of my work.”
The project also goes beyond coffee, with plans in place to tackle healthcare challenges impacting farming communities in DRC. In partnership with the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), Nespresso is investing CHF 1 million to support the establishment of 23 water access points across the Kivu region, in addition to one primary and five mobile health clinics, which will deliver 13,000 health consultations per year to local communities, helping in the fight against cholera, a major health issue in the country.
