News

farmers of Kawa Kanzururu cooperative 2018
Out of Conflict, Into Hope: the Coffee of DRC
For years, since their coffee sector was basically decimated by war, Congolese farmers, including those who are now members of the Kawa Kanzururu cooperative, were forced to smuggle their coffee across... Read more...
Introducing Kawa Kanzururu: the First Coffee of its Kind
Introducing Kawa Kanzururu: the First Coffee of its Kind
Through our exploration of Congolese coffee and relationships developed there over the past few years, we have been introduced to the farmers of Kawa Kanzururu--a young cooperative demonstrating an innovative economic... Read more...
Visit Your Farmers this January
Visit Your Farmers this January
This January, On the Ground, Cooperative Coffees, and Maya Vinic are hosting an origin trip unlike any other. Read more...
road from Bukavu to Kiniezire, DRC
Congo Travelogue: Notes from the Road
Author's note: I traveled to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in May of this year, to participate in the third annual Saveur du Kivu and visit with Higher Grounds'... Read more...
Congo Coffee at Saveur du Kivu
Saveur du Kivu: Where Crisis Meets Opportunity in the Congo
Collaboration is power. Through Saveur du Kivu and all it represents, the specialty coffee industry in the Democratic Republic of Congo is shifting towards a brighter future. Read more...
Relationships and Reality: The Incredible True Story of Jose Perez Vazquez
Relationships and Reality: The Incredible True Story of Jose Perez Vazquez
He has walked the corridors of Oslo City Hall as a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, but last December Jose Perez Vasquez had his eyes searching the concrete sidewalks of Chicago for... Read more...
Growing Organic Coffee in Chenalho, Chiapas, Mexico
Growing Organic Coffee in Chenalho, Chiapas, Mexico
How much does it actually cost to grow organic coffee in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico? Jose, our long time friend and co-founder of the Maya Vinic cooperative, explains how much... Read more...
The Power of Co-ops: Farmer stories (Jose, Part 1)
The Power of Co-ops: Farmer stories (Jose, Part 1)
“Before the creation of Maya Vinic, I had to deal with middlemen—coyoteros—who would use their own unreliable scales to cheat us out of kilos of coffee. Many told us coffee... Read more...