The third Best of Congo Cooperatives auction is scheduled to run from September 1-3, offering international green coffee buyers access to 32 traceable microlots from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The event, hosted on the M-Cultivo auction platform, aims to connect producers in the region with the global specialty market.
This year's program includes 14 top-scoring lots designated as international winners for the auction, with an additional 18 national winner lots available via an offer sheet that closes on September 10. The coffees originate from cooperatives in eastern DRC, from Lake Kivu to the Rwenzori mountains. The auction catalog features a range of processing methods, including fully washed, natural, and anaerobic fermentation. Bidding for the 14 auction lots, which range from 86 to 300 kilograms, will start at US$13 per kilogram.
The event highlights the ongoing efforts of DRC producers to establish the country as a specialty coffee origin amid significant regional challenges. The top-scoring lot is an anaerobic coffee named Café Izuba, produced by Linda Mugaruka and Moise Dunia Muhindo in South Kivu. The program also features seven microlots produced by women, youth, and marginalized Batwa communities, with three of these lots included among the international auction winners.