{"id":42,"date":"2020-11-30T23:25:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T23:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/?p=42"},"modified":"2025-01-24T13:14:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T13:14:11","slug":"the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/","title":{"rendered":"The Congo Coffee Project – in Partnership with Equal Exchange"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your morning cup of coffee holds a lot more potential than you might realize.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, yet most coffee isn\u2019t ethically sourced. Unfortunately, the global markets still echo coffee\u2019s colonial legacy. Processors and distributors pocket the majority of the profits of the coffee industry without paying farmers fairly for their labor. The people who grew the coffee beans for your morning brew will likely only receive a small fraction of the retail price.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Coffee
Coffee fields in Bulenga, Democratic Republic of Congo where the SOPACDI cooperative is located.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Being a coffee farmer in the DRC hasn\u2019t been easy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coffee industry in the DRC grew significantly from the 1970s to 1990s. But by 2010, political instability and conflict had slashed coffee production to less than a tenth<\/a> of what it had been twenty years earlier, and farmers had difficulty bringing their product to market for a fair price. During and after the Congolese wars, conflict as well as punitive export taxes prevented farmers from exporting their coffee beans in the DRC. Instead, many farmers choose to sell their coffee beans in Rwanda for a cheaper price. Instability, violence, and even the COVID-19 pandemic have all increased the volatility of coffee farming. Farmers often can\u2019t make a living growing coffee, and the low prices they\u2019re paid by middlemen drive labor and environmental abuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, we can be a part of the solution. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equal Exchange<\/a> was founded on the principle that food can be traded in an honest and fair way, connecting farmers and consumers. Instead of buying coffee and other products through middlemen, they purchase directly from farmer cooperatives and other democratic producer organizations. That means farmers have a decision-making stake in their businesses and take home more of the profits. Equal Exchange is building a democratic food system by sourcing food that is authentically fair trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equal Exchange offers a Congolese coffee: the Congo Coffee Project coffee<\/a>. It\u2019s grown by the farmers of SOPACDI<\/a>, a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual cooperative located near Bulenga, DRC with more than 11,736 farmer-members. SOPACDI farmers receive a fair price for their beans and participate in collective decision-making through the cooperative\u2019s democratic structure. Together, they decide how to use the fair trade premiums they receive to benefit their community. And in addition to paying fair trade prices, Equal Exchange donates $1 to the Panzi Foundation for every pound of coffee sold.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"An<\/a>
An inspirational blend of East African Coffees that is smooth and balanced, with rich chocolate, sweet vanilla, brown spices and a hint of fresh berry.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Over the course of a nine year partnership, the Congo Coffee Project has raised more than $100,000 for the Panzi Foundation. These donations go towards increasing the capacity of Panzi\u2019s One Stop Center in Bulenga as well as improving community access to clean water. The One Stop Center is designed to provide survivors of sexual violence with Panzi\u2019s holistic care, which includes medical care, psycho-social support, legal assistance, and socio-economic support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to have confidence that your coffee purchase is supporting local farmers and their community, consider buying a bag of Congo Coffee Project coffee<\/a> to support Congolese farmers and the Panzi Foundation. If coffee isn\u2019t your thing, you can also check out Equal Exchange\u2019s selection of chocolates <\/a>and teas<\/a>, which also support a more ethical supply chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your morning cup of coffee holds a lot more potential than you might realize.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-field"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Congo Coffee Project - in Partnership with Equal Exchange | Panzi Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Congo Coffee Project - in Partnership with Equal Exchange | Panzi Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Your morning cup of coffee holds a lot more potential than you might realize.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Panzi Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PanziFoundationUsa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-30T23:25:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-24T13:14:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/coffee-stat4.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"778\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"panzi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@PanziUSA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@PanziUSA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"panzi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"panzi\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3d90a27617b8a17c229ff88135bf1b62\"},\"headline\":\"The Congo Coffee Project – in Partnership with Equal Exchange\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-30T23:25:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-24T13:14:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/\"},\"wordCount\":577,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/coffee-stat4.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"From the Field\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/\",\"name\":\"The Congo Coffee Project - in Partnership with Equal Exchange | Panzi Foundation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/coffee-stat4.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-30T23:25:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-24T13:14:11+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/coffee-stat4.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/coffee-stat4.jpg\",\"width\":1400,\"height\":778,\"caption\":\"Panzi Foundation Coffee transformative livelihoods Program\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Congo Coffee Project – in Partnership with Equal Exchange\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/\",\"name\":\"Panzi Foundation\",\"description\":\"Her Tomorrow Starts Today\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Panzi Foundation\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Panzi_Foundation_Logo_RGB_Blue.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Panzi_Foundation_Logo_RGB_Blue.png\",\"width\":386,\"height\":251,\"caption\":\"Panzi Foundation\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PanziFoundationUsa\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/PanziUSA\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/panzifoundation\/?hl=en\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3d90a27617b8a17c229ff88135bf1b62\",\"name\":\"panzi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4fa5d8bbffce43bd0b92ad42722522ea82564519b003d7cf75fb9004c0820b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4fa5d8bbffce43bd0b92ad42722522ea82564519b003d7cf75fb9004c0820b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"panzi\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Congo Coffee Project - in Partnership with Equal Exchange | Panzi Foundation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Congo Coffee Project - in Partnership with Equal Exchange | Panzi Foundation","og_description":"Your morning cup of coffee holds a lot more potential than you might realize.","og_url":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/","og_site_name":"Panzi Foundation","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PanziFoundationUsa\/","article_published_time":"2020-11-30T23:25:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-01-24T13:14:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1400,"height":778,"url":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/coffee-stat4.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"panzi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@PanziUSA","twitter_site":"@PanziUSA","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"panzi","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/"},"author":{"name":"panzi","@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3d90a27617b8a17c229ff88135bf1b62"},"headline":"The Congo Coffee Project – in Partnership with Equal Exchange","datePublished":"2020-11-30T23:25:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-24T13:14:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/"},"wordCount":577,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/coffee-stat4.jpg","articleSection":["From the Field"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/","url":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/","name":"The Congo Coffee Project - in Partnership with Equal Exchange | Panzi Foundation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/coffee-stat4.jpg","datePublished":"2020-11-30T23:25:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-24T13:14:11+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/coffee-stat4.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/coffee-stat4.jpg","width":1400,"height":778,"caption":"Panzi Foundation Coffee transformative livelihoods Program"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/the-congo-coffee-project-in-partnership-with-equal-exchange\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Congo Coffee Project – in Partnership with Equal Exchange"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/","name":"Panzi Foundation","description":"Her Tomorrow Starts Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#organization","name":"Panzi Foundation","url":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Panzi_Foundation_Logo_RGB_Blue.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Panzi_Foundation_Logo_RGB_Blue.png","width":386,"height":251,"caption":"Panzi Foundation"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PanziFoundationUsa\/","https:\/\/x.com\/PanziUSA","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/panzifoundation\/?hl=en"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3d90a27617b8a17c229ff88135bf1b62","name":"panzi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4fa5d8bbffce43bd0b92ad42722522ea82564519b003d7cf75fb9004c0820b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4fa5d8bbffce43bd0b92ad42722522ea82564519b003d7cf75fb9004c0820b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"panzi"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/panzifoundation.org"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panzifoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}