Mapendo Women I Democratic Republic of Congo

This is the second year we purchased coffee from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), brought to us by Mighty Peace Coffee. Mighty Peace is a women-and-minority-owned social impact coffee company based in the U.S. with offices in Europe and Africa. Mighty Peace was born out of the Congolese peace movement by an international team of business leaders, coffee experts, innovators, community organizers, and human rights defenders. Currently they are serving 9,000 farmers in the DRC by delivering high-quality specialty coffee to 84 U.S. coffee companies.

Mapendo is Swahili for “love.” Many of the women that produced Mapendo are widows as a result of the conflicts that have destabilized parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Gender justice is one of the key pillars of Mighty Peace, and they’ve worked with organizations such as OXFAM to implement "Gender Action Learning Systems." These systems comprise role playing and visual tools to help women farmers plan sustainable livelihoods. Since 2009, Mapendo farmers produce fully washed coffee that has been certified Fair Trade Organic (FTO). They have three washing stations, with a fourth in construction that will include a modern lab for cupping and quality control.

This coffee shares similarities to regions such as Rwanda and Burundi, but the exceptional washing process is what makes it really stand out. It produces a clean cup with sparkling acidity and layers of complexity. We taste crisp pear, key lime, subtle notes of tart raspberry, and lingering herbal notes reminiscent of rooibos tea.