COOPAC OR FAIR TRADE COFFEE
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Fertile soils and clayey soils, elevation (1 400 to 1 900 m), abundant rainfall without being excessive: the slopes of the volcanic mountains give the coffee plants on the shores of Lake Kivu the ideal environment to produce the best arabica beans. To convince the Cooperative of Coffee Producers (COOPAC). Created in 2001, it has a factory of déparchage installed in 2004 to complete all stages of the processing of coffee until export, and a washing station located in Nyamwenda on the edge of the lake. Today, COOPAC is composed of 2 200 members from 6 areas of this region and 6 small associations. Supported by USAID, the COOPAC has been certified fair trade (fair trade) and is currently selling coffee in supermarkets and other outlets in Rwanda, the United States and Europe.
How is this coffee fair trade? First, the emphasis on the role of women. In the Gisenyi region, 10% per cent of plantation owners are women. Second, the rebirth of the COOPAC co-operative gives producers the opportunity to look at the various ways to improve the quality of coffee and the quantities produced, because they know that the price withdrawn is fair. Environmental impact: The coffee tree plays an important role in soil conservation and erosion. The maintenance of plantations therefore has beneficial effects on the environment in the region. For a long time in the hands of the state, caféière production is now more open to national private initiatives.
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