GORILLA COFFEE ALLIANCE LAUNCHED IN DRC

Gorilla Coffee Alliance launched to Enhance Rural Livelihoods and Wildlife Conservation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. USAID, Nespresso, Olam Food Ingredients, TechnoServe, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Asili will partner to support sustainable agriculture and rural enterprise to reduce threats to the critically endangered Grauer’s gorilla.

South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo 

The eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has seen years of economic and political turmoil, which has impacted the well-being of local communities and threatened the unique biodiversity of the area. Now, a new partnership will promote better livelihoods for local farmers and protect the region’s endemic and critically endangered Grauer’s gorilla. 

The Gorilla Coffee Alliance was launched on 19 October 2021 by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); Nespresso; Olam Food Ingredients (OFI); international nonprofits, TechnoServe and the Wildlife Conservation Society; and Congolese social enterprise, Asili. Over five years, this initiative will partner with 8,500 farming households to improve their coffee production and sales and reduce poaching and deforestation around Kahuzi-Biega National Park in DRC’s South Kivu province. 

Vivek Verma 
Managing Director and CEO of the OFI coffee business 

“This ambitious alliance will be a real game changer for a region that has faced conflict, poverty, and natural disaster. Building on years of close collaboration with local farmers, we will help Kivu to build its reputation for exceptional coffee and make a real difference to long-term farmer revenues. But our vision goes far beyond coffee. With the help of our partners, we will bring innovation to local farming systems, helping to improve lives and livelihoods, regenerate soils, and protect precious biodiversity in the world’s second-largest tropical forest. And using the sustainability insights platform, AtSource, we will be able to monitor the progress we are making towards the desired social and environmental impact.” 

Read the full press release here