About This Coffee
COCASKA (Coopérative de Café Sélectionné de Kalehe) was founded by group of 5 smallholder farmers - 2 women and 3 men – in South Kivu in October 2018. By 2020, the cooperative had a full 500 members, 40% of whom are women. They began processing at their new washing station in 2020.
Cultivation
South Kivu has nutrient-rich volcanic soil and ideal climatic conditions for growing Arabica coffee.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Farmers selectively handpick cherry and deliver it to COCASKA’s washing station. Cherry is sorted at intake and then pulped. Coffee fermented for 9 to 24 hours before being washed in clean water and laid to dry.
Coffee in Democratic Republic of Congo
Coffee once played a huge part in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) economy. Eastern DRC was called “a paradise for coffee.” Unfortunately, the country’s dark colonial history followed by waves of political turmoil limited prosperity in the coffee sector. Today, coffee’s making a comeback as a number of private and public sector actors invest in the country. We believe DRC is a country to watch as it continues to build the infrastructure and knowledge needed for specialty coffee production.