8. Coacha FW – Congo Filter

The Cooperative Agricole de Chanyi (COACHA) was founded by 22 farmers in the year 2000. Today, the group comprises more than 327 producers, 114 of them women, who deliver their coffee to COACHA's central washing station.

The members grow coffee on small farms, generally no bigger than a hectare. The high altitude of over 1400 meters above sea level means the days are hot and the nights are cold, which means the cherries develop slowly, becoming dense, sweet coffee beans.

COACHA focuses on supporting women and young people. They help their members to reach a bigger market and to earn a fair price for their harvest. The farmers pick ripe, red cherries by hand and delver them to the central, COACHA-run washing station, where they are assessed for ripeness. Accepted cherries are depulped in a drum pulper before being fermented for 12 to 24 hours in water. Next, the cherries are washed, leaving the beans encased in only their parchment, a thin membrane that holds two beans together in each cherry. They're laid out onto beds to dry, where regular raking keeps the drying process even.

It takes about two to three weeks for the coffee to be fully dried, after which it is stored for up to 2 months in a specialised warehouse, waiting to be taken to the dry mill, where the parchment is split and removed, dividing up the beans, ready for export.

Relationship: New Partner
Producer: Cooperative Agricole de Chanyi
Type of Farm: Cooperative

Region, Country: Kirinyaga, Congo
Altitude: 1490 masl
Soil type: Volcanic Soil
Fertilisation method: organic
Shadow Type: Not shade grown
Processing location: Coacha Washing Station
Number of varieties: Several
Harvest season: Nov-Dec