Coopade

The Cooperative Paysanne de Développement (Coopade) was established in 2014 by 106 members to address a decline in coffee quantity and quality in locally grown coffee, and to make their coffee more competitive on the open market. Currently, the cooperative has 3,909 members (956 women and 2,953 men) aged 18 to 65, located in 21 sectors near Virunga National Park.

From 2018 to 2022 Coopade received support from the Virunga National Park agriculture programme, with activities implemented in partnership with Farm Africa and funded by the European Union. This project strengthened every step of the value chain, from farm management with training in good agricultural practices and the establishment of coffee and other tree nurseries, to post-harvest production and management systems, while building a recognised marketing profile and presence in international markets.

By upgrading the washing stations, the cooperative has been able to increase production and improve the quality of their coffees. A great deal of work on strengthening the internal control systems has enabled them to achieve full traceability and meet the requirements of Fairtrade and Organic certifications. The cooperative achieved Utz (now Rainforest Alliance) and Organic certification in 2017 and obtained its Fairtrade certification in 2020.

Coopade's slogan, ‘Development, our concern,’ reflects its commitment to supporting producers, particularly women. Since 2020, Coopade has empowered women coffee farmers to develop and control their own coffee production, through the 6 washing stations run by the women's section. This includes growing and harvesting the coffee and managing the washing stations to process the coffee once harvested. Thanks to the premiums from the sale of fair trade and organic coffee, the cooperative also provides its members with training on biodiversity protection, protection against diseases, savings and credit between members as well as other complementary trades such as agropastoral. The cooperative continuously invests in modernizing its washing stations to improve coffee quality and quantity. Additionally, they have plans to produce robusta coffee and cocoa and establish their own dry mill. In terms of management, Coopade aims to leverage IT tools for cherry and parchment stock management.