🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Contents
Tumaini Coffee Cooperative is located in the centre of Miti, Kabare Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo. Established in 2015, Tumaini was formed in order to access international markets and earn better wages for its members, while also improving coffee processing techniques and overall quality.
The name Tumaini means ‘hope’ in Swahili.
Location
History
The cooperative was founded in 2015 to improve household incomes and working conditions by increasing the local production of high-quality coffee. The organization sought to directly meet the needs of small coffee producers, offering them vital training and aligning their harvests with international market demands.
Today, Tumaini represents 1,125 coffee producers, of whom 519 are certified organic, with the remainder currently in conversion. Since its creation, TCC has implemented rigorous management of action plans, organic certification processes, and coffee stock oversight to ensure compliance with international sales contracts.
Facilities & Operations
TCC operates two washing stations to process its members' harvests: one in Ikambi which focuses on producing natural coffees, and one in Kahisa with a small pulping machine that can process washed coffees.
Across these facilities, the cooperative employs 15 permanent staff members and 12 temporary workers. All employees of Tumaini are farmers with their own coffee trees.
Over its first five years of operation, TCC members produced an average of 353,000 kg of coffee cherries annually. During this period, the cooperative exported 7.5 containers of green coffee internationally. For the 2025 harvest, TCC paid its producers $0.50 per kilogram of coffee cherries.
Goals & Community Impact
In the long term, TCC plans to secure local farms, increase production, and promote local coffee consumption. The cooperative is also heavily focused on contributing to regional food security by helping farmers maintain and diversify food crops, such as beans and soybeans.
Currently, TCC provides members with the free distribution of coffee seedlings, guaranteed cherry purchases, and ongoing training from staff agronomists. The broader community also benefits from local job creation, new potential buyers, and direct access to international markets.
In the future, TCC hopes to offer its producers modern production equipment, farming tools, and access to new processing mills. For the wider Miti community, the cooperative ultimately aims to rehabilitate deserted agricultural roads, support local health centers, and contribute to the construction of agricultural technical schools.