Café Africa R.D.Congo established 2010

The coffee sector for the Democratic Republic of Congo

The coffee sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo used to be one of the main drivers of the economy. In the major producing provinces, Bas-Congo, Bandundu, Equateur North and South, Kasai, North Kivu and Oriental Province, coffee was widely considered as being the main source of household disposable income. While this image still remains in the minds of many farmers, the intervening years of civil strife, neglect of the transport infrastructure, the government’s inability to support and fund the agricultural extension services, and the ravages of CWD (coffee wilt disease), have reduced production drastically. It is estimated that there are about 800,000 households involved in coffee production.

Café Africa’s achievements and recent projects

Building Relationships

Café Africa in the République Démocratique du Congo (CARDC) was founded in 2010 with the aim of revitalising the coffee and cocoa sub-sectors by increasing production, while also improving the livelihood of small-scale producers.

To attain its objectives, CARDC has built relationships internally and externally, which has led to CARDC becoming a recognised encourager of cooperative working between participants in the coffee and cocoa value chains within the RDC. Our main areas of intervention since establishment have been:

Promotion of Public/ Private Partnerships among industry stakeholders
Advocacy and Agricultural Development
Implementation of Coffee and Cocoa Projects
Training and Capacity-Building

Increasing global demand for RDC Robusta, coupled with the volatile price of Arabica, highlight the need to boost Robusta production in RDC. CARDC is actively seeking partnerships with organisations that can foster the sustainable growth of Robusta coffee production, ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality beans, to the ultimate benefit of the entire value chain.

Yangambi (Tshopo Province) Study

In 2025, in partnership with the Meise Botanical Garden, Café Africa RDC conducted a comprehensive diagnostic study of the Robusta coffee value chain within the Yangambi Engagement Landscape. This resulted in practical recommendations for production, processing, and market development.

Karawa Coffee Project, 2018 to date

The Karawa Coffee Project (KCP), funded by the Paul Carlson Partnership, has aimed to develop the production and marketing of Robusta in the Ubangi region (north west RDC). Between 2018 and 2022 Café Africa RDC – the project coordinator – trained 2,188 registered producers and organised them into a cooperative (Fédération des Unions de Producteurs du Café de l’Ubangi – FUPROCAF UBANGI) to ensure the continuation of the project’s aims.

There has been marked success in the development of a strong local market. The 100 tonne increase in KCP’s harvest in 2022 was almost entirely absorbed by the local market. Traditional consumers in rural areas such as Ubangi, local roasters, and a growing class of young urban professionals are among the drivers of the current trend in domestic consumption.

During 2025 CARDC supported the FUPROCAF UBANGI Cooperative to connect to international buyers. A developing partnership with SOPAGRI CONGO and an agreement with the Swiss firm Cocoasource (via its RDC branch, Bahari SARL) led to the sale of the first container of Karawa coffee (25mt) to CocoaSource. Reaching this “commercialism” phase highlights the sustainability of the project, with producers starting to earn real incomes from their harvests. These vital earnings are being reinvested directly into homes, families and futures.

Partnership working in 2023-24

Stakeholders’ Coffee Breakfast, Kinshasa

Working with the exporters’ association ASSECCAF, and the Congolese Women in Coffee-Cocoa Initiative (IFCCA), CARDC facilitated a breakfast discussion in September 2023 between delegates from the public, private, diplomatic and non-governmental sectors on improving collaboration across the coffee value chain. This exchange of ideas was vital for building on the advocacy work being undertaken by ASSECCAF on improving the business environment. It sparked renewed interest among stakeholders for regular meetings.

Agribusiness & Environment Workshop at the Belgian Week Expo, Kinshasa

This workshop in October 2023 focused on the problem of sedentary crops in emerging value chains. CARDC shared the lessons learned from cooperative initiatives in eastern RDC, and how they could be applied to the revitalisation of the coffee sector in western RDC.

Training and Capacity-Building in 2023

CARDC revisited the Union des Associations de Planteurs du Café Lavé de Mayombe (UAPCLM), which CARDC had previously helped establish. This cooperative was formed under the EU-funded AIDCOM Programme to rehabilitate the production of the “Petit Kwilu” variety in the Mayombe region in the province of Kongo Central. CARDC’s visit was in order to evaluate the cooperative’s performance, growth, and impact on members’ livelihoods.

“Petit Kwilu” Coffee Varietal Market Feasibility Study around the Luki Biosphere Reserve in South-West RDC

At the request of the World Wildlife Fund, CARDC conducted a study on the potential for the Petite Kwilu variety of Coffea Canephora (Robusta) to be used as an income-generating activity, while preserving the biodiversity of the landscape at the Luke Biosphere Reserve. This produced a number of recommendations, for discussion about future interventions in the area.