🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
Page updated: @August 24, 2026
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Contents
The Kivu Coffee Producers’ Agricultural Cooperative, known by its acronym CAPCKI, is located in the centre of Kalehe Territory, South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Established in 2015, CAPCKI was formed to improve the livelihoods of local farmers through the production and sale of specialty coffees and other crop, livestock, and their various byproducts.
“Our vision is to become a model of cooperative success in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Kalehe specialty coffee is globally recognized as a symbol of peace, dignity and prosperity for rural communities on the shores of Lake Kivu”. Today we have 562 members, 338 men and 224 women.
We have two coffee washing stations, and our production zone extends from 1600 meters elevation to above 2000 meters. This allows us to produce coffee of outstanding quality. We are boosting the sustainability of our production through planting new coffee seedlings and shade trees, the use of organic compost produced from coffee pulp, and integrated pest and disease management.
We are promoting entrepreneurship among our women and youth members, with savings and credit groups. The groups’ ventures include the production and sale of mushrooms and of ground coffee to the local market.”
Serieux Lwamboshi, Chair of the Board, CAPCKI
Location
History
The cooperative was founded in 2015 by Bahati Lwaboshi Sérieux with the initial goal to unite and support local coffee farmers in developing the quality and growth of Kivu’s coffee sector. In turn they expected this to make the practice of coffee farming a more profitable and sustainable business within their community.
Today the cooperative represents 562 active coffee-producing members, who are provided with fair prices, yearly distribution of quality coffee seedlings, a loyalty bonus, and annual profit sharing.
Facilities & Operations
CAPCKI operates a main washing station equipped with a 3-disc pulping machine, six fermentation tanks with an integrated grading channel, a storage warehouse, 44 drying tables, and the central administrative office. The coop also manages two mini-washing stations located in the villages of Murambi and Mpumbi.
To support these facilities, CAPCKI maintains a workforce of 26 contracted employees and 73 part-time staff members. During peak harvest seasons, the cooperative scales up operations, employing more than 300 community members across its daily and seasonal activities.
Since 2022, CAPCKI has achieved a consistent production volume, averaging 17 containers of sorted green coffee per year
Goals & Community Impact
The broader community benefits from extensive seasonal employment, direct funding for emergency responses, dedicated support for indigenous Pygmy coffee producers, and a specialised project helping local youth cultivate cosmetic mushrooms.
In the short term, the cooperative aims to expand its international market reach, increase its membership, and intensify its support programs for local women and youth. CAPCKI's overarching long-term goal is to secure the sustainable development of its community by lifting the living conditions of smallholders through stable, premium coffee commerce.
Looking ahead, CAPCKI intends to expand agricultural training, distribute basic farming tools, provide small agricultural loans, and scale up seedling production to meet farmer demand. For the wider Kalehe region, the cooperative plans to repair abandoned farm roads, install clean drinking water connections in underserved villages, and distribute trees to mitigate flooding and prevent deforestation.