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Nespresso invests in the Democratic Republic of Congo's coffee revival

Launch of Reviving Origins KAHAWA YA CONGO in the U.S.
Nespresso Reviving Origins Congo

Nespresso today announced a long-term commitment to revive the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) coffee industry, under its unique Reviving Origins program, with the launch of the first organic coffee of the range, KAHAWA YA CONGO, in the U.S. Established in 2019, the Reviving Origins program aims to restore coffee production in regions where it is under threat, bringing back to life some of the rarest fine coffees for all coffee connoisseurs to discover.

In 1980, coffee, ranked among the world's finest, was the second most important export for the Democratic Republic of Congo, but declined in the early 2000's due to years of conflict and economic instability that had a devastating impact on the industry. Volumes have since dropped by 10 times. KAHAWA YA CONGO comes from rain-rich volcanic soils along the shore of Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo). This area has the potential to be among the world's great coffee regions but has faced extremely challenging conditions recently.

As part of its Reviving Origins program, Nespresso, together with the global non-profit TechnoServe, the U.S. Agency for International Development and coffee trader Virunga Coffee/Olam International, has started to implement its AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program in the Kivu provinces in 2019. Nespresso is providing training and technical support to improve coffee quality and productivity, in addition to establishing sustainable farming practices, and increasing farmer income. Nespresso's ambition is to increase the number of Congolese farmers participating in the program from 450 today to over 5000 by 2024.

Guillaume Le Cunff, CEO of Nespresso said: "We are very proud to welcome Congo into our Reviving Origins program and we are committed to providing long term support that will help Congolese coffee farmers, and their communities, to rebuild their coffee industry and their local economies".

Read the full press release (pdf, 659 Kb)