Sopadci, Congo Certified Organic

Produced entirely from trees of the Bourbon variety of Arabica by the SOPACDI coop. This is a wet-processed or “washed” coffee, meaning the fruit skin and pulp were removed from the beans immediately after harvesting and before drying. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has very recently established itself as a source of specialty coffee with the development of cooperatives like Sopacdi. Located overlooking Lake Kivu, on the opposite side of the lake from Rwanda, this rapidly growing cooperative now has 5,600 members and apparently is succeeding its goal to help heal wounds left by the latest in eastern Congo’s seemingly endless string of horrific rebellions and civil wars. This coffee is certified organically grown and Fair Trade, meaning it was purchased from small-holding farmers at a “fair” or economically sustainable price.