Eastern DR Congo province whose Lubero highlands feed cooperative washing stations. One lot there cups with bright acidity, stone fruit and black currant.
North Kivu in eastern DR Congo has become a specialty arabica source, with smallholders delivering cherry to cooperative washing stations. One Lubero-area cooperative lot is washed, from heirloom, Blue Mountain and Rumangabo varieties, and harvested March-June. It cups with medium body, bright acidity, stone fruit, black currant, clove and molasses. That cooperative's area borders Virunga National Park.
Field notes
- i
Specialty coffee here is presented as a path to peace and livelihoods in a region long affected by conflict.
- ii
One cooperative in the Lubero area works with over 4,500 smallholders through 16 mini washing stations, six of them run by women.
- iii
That cooperative's area borders Virunga National Park, which its importer calls Africa's oldest national park.
In the cup, according to guides
- AcidityMoreOne importer describes a Lubero-area North Kivu lot with bright acidity and medium body.
- Stone fruitOften notedThe same lot is described with stone fruit and clove notes.
- BlackcurrantOften notedThe same lot is described with black currant notes.
Varietals
Processing
Elsewhere in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Sources · 2 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-11-10. Some details here are less settled than others.
- DR Congo Organic Gorilla Blend Kivu 3 Washed 2023 · Genuine Origin
- The Revival of Arabica Coffee in Eastern DRC · Rikolto