Lake Kivu is a favorite area in Rwanda. The climate of the lake and the volcanic soil come together in some magical way to make deep cherry fruit tones in these lovely coffees. An extra bonus for this specific coffee is that it is certified organic, and, outside of Ethiopia, there is very little certified African coffees.

COOPAC is a Fair Trade–certified cooperative that began with 110 farmers in 2001, and today has over 2,200 members. COOPAC is committed to environmental and social sustainability in addition to producing high quality coffee. Waste by-products created during the coffee washing process are used to as fertilizer rather than discarded into the lake, and shade trees are distributed to farmers to prevent soil erosion. COOPAC has assisted in the construction of a school, health-care clinics, and roads and bridges in the community, and has a program to distribute cows and goats to the most productive farmers. COOPAC also provides farmers with an agricultural advisor to educate the growers about the latest production methods.