In the 1970s and 1980s, the Congolese coffee sector was growing rapidly, with annual coffee exports estimated at 120,000 tons.
However, the turmoil of the 1990s, combined with a pervasive crop wilt disease decimated the sector. By 2002, exports were less than 20% of their late 80s peak.
In the early 2010s, the Congolese government, along with a variety of corporations and NGOs, began to reinvest in the Congolese coffee sector, especially in the eastern part of the country where the climate conditions are ideal for growing coffee.
Grown between 1,600-1,900m and spanning over 5,200 sq. km, Ituri sees an average of 1,380mm of rainfall each year, with average temperatures that hover around 19.6°C.
As production zone on the rise, Ituri offers buyers with a unique profile that delicately balances body and acidity with notes of sugarcane, grapefruit, prune and blackcurrant.
Spanning an area of 24,579 sq. km, temperatures in this mild to warm climate range between 16.9-23°C. Annual rainfall averages between 1,420-1,582mm.
With elevations ranging between 1,200-2,200m, coffee from the Grand Nord is favoured for its medium body, citric acidity, and notes of tropical fruit, lemon, and honey.
Covering over 10,000 sq. km, growing zones of the Petit Nord are blessed by favourable temperatures ranging between 18.9-21.7°C and rainfall averaging 1,185-1,596mm per year.
Grown between 1,400-1,800m, coffees originating from the Petit Nord are known for their smooth body, citric acidity, and flavour notes of blackberry, grape, and lemon.
Bord du Lac covers approximately 7,367 sq. km. With an average annual temperature of 16.8°C and an average rainfall of 1,637mm. Elevation range spans altitudes between 1,480-1,800m.
Coffees from this zone generally offer a gentle citric acidity with flavour notes of tropical fruit, apple, jasmine,
chocolate, coffee blossom, orange, and blackberry.
The Ruzizi coffee region covers 16,118 sq.km, an area benefiting from temperatures averaging between 21.6-26°C and 981-1,549mm of rainfall annually.
Grown at altitudes between 1,200-2,400m above sea level, coffees from Ruzizi are known for their medium body, citric acidity, and notes of lemon, floral, tropical fruit, and melon.