Kivu                 1800 mt

 Region/Zone          Elevation   

 

Pulping process       Cultivar    

 

     Picked in              Landed in

 

CPCK washing station is along the shores of Lake Kivu, one of the Great Lakes of Africa, resting 1500m above sea level. The region is located in the Albertine Rift where a chain of volcanoes can be found just 50-75 miles north of the washing stations. CPCK has a total of 1,500 members who are rebounding from decades of conflict and an economic crisis. The average coffee farm is one hectare and the coffee is processed at a wet mills owned by the cooperative along the shores of Lake Kivu. Prior to two years ago, farmers were paid next to nothing for their coffee, but as a result of access to the global specialty market they have now nearly tripled their income from coffee in 1 year.
The Co-Op currently produces 250 ton of cherry each year. After picking the coffee is hand pulped in a Penagos 1500 and then left to dry ferment for 12 hours before being washed and processed through further grading channels. The coffee is then dried on raised African beds for 10-14 days until the correct moisture levels are reached. From here it is then transported to the CoffeeLac Dry Mill in Goma where the parchment is then removed and bagged in grain Pro liners. The journey is then a 12 day travel from central Africa out to the port of Mombasa where it can be shipped.