🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
Page updated: @November 27, 2024
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Contents
Olame is a coffee cooperative located in Bugarula of Idjwi Island, DRC.
Equatoria Coffee is a South Sudanese coffee producer located in Nzara County, Western Equatoria State. The company is working to revive South Sudan’s coffee industry while supporting local communities through sustainable farming practices and economic development. As part of the Equatoria Teak Company (ETC), Equatoria Coffee also engages in the production of teak, offering a long-term income stream for local farmers, while coffee provides a more immediate source of revenue.
Location
History
Coffee production in Western Equatoria State dates back decades but was severely disrupted during the Second Sudanese Civil War in the 1980s.
Recognising the region’s potential, Equatoria Coffee began planting coffee in 2018 as a way for local farmers increase the frequency of their income. While the larger company’s agricultural product, teak wood, takes 25 years to cultivate and harvest, coffee can be harvested every year after just 3 years of maturation, acting as an annual source of revenue if grown by local farmers.
In 2020, the company launched the “Excelling in Excelsa” project to expand coffee production and integrate local farmers into the global coffee value chain. This project, funded by the Sustainable Development Goals Partnership (SDGP), aims to establish coffee farming as a sustainable and profitable venture for smallholder farmers in Nzara and Yambio counties. The project focuses on cultivating the Excelsa variety of coffee, a lesser-known member of the Liberica coffee family which is indigenous to South Sudan. This variety was selected for its hardiness, disease resistance, and suitability to the region's climate.
Operations
Equatoria Coffee owns and operates several facilities, including:
- A washing station with pulping and drying facilities.
- A dry mill for coffee processing.
- A 60-hectare coffee plantation located in Nzara County.
The company works with 1,500 local farmers, providing them with quality coffee seedlings, technical training, and access to markets. Equatoria Coffee employs 70 permanent and 30 part-time staff members and has a growing presence in both domestic and international markets.
Coffee Production
Equatoria Coffee specializes in cultivating Excelsa coffee, a hardy and disease-resistant variety belonging to the Liberica family. Native to South Sudan, Excelsa is well-suited to the region’s climate, offering resilience to unpredictable rainfall and resistance to common diseases. Genetic testing conducted by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, confirmed that the Excelsa coffee grown by Equatoria Coffee is indigenous to South Sudan, with high genetic diversity offering potential for further improvement.
Between 2018 and 2023, Equatoria Coffee produced an average of 2 tons of coffee annually. With ongoing expansion, production is expected to reach 500 tons at full capacity. Although initially focused on the local market in Juba, the company plans to significantly increase its export volumes, connecting South Sudanese coffee to the global market.
Community Impact
In Western Equatoria State, agriculture supports over 85% of the population. By partnering with local farmers, Equatoria Coffee fosters economic growth and creates employment opportunities, particularly for women and youth under 35.
Key contributions to the local community include:
- Job creation with fair wages.
- Construction and rehabilitation of feeder roads.
- Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, such as building boreholes, schools, and health centres.
Equatoria Coffee has long-term goals to expand their community programs, including the development of more schools and health facilities.
The company supports the 1500 farmers they partner with through:
- Provision of high-quality coffee seedlings and teak stumps.
- Training in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) via extension services.
- Access to processing facilities and direct connections to international buyers, ensuring fair pricing.
Farmers are encouraged to intercrop coffee with other crops, such as groundnuts, providing diverse income streams. The company's cooperative model minimizes reliance on middlemen, increasing farmer profits.
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