Coop Stories

In Songwe Region, Henyi AMCOS once operated within a structure that limited both participation and potential. The cooperative was largely male-dominated, with women confined to basic roles such as harvesting, while men controlled production decisions, income, and leadership. Out of more than 290 members, only 10 were women, reflecting a system where both productivity and inclusion were constrained.

This imbalance extended beyond the cooperative into households, where women contributed labor without benefiting from the economic value of coffee.

The transformation began when Sustainable Growers introduced a structured approach that combined agronomic training with gender inclusion addressing both productivity gaps and systemic inequality.

Through hands-on, field-based training delivered by Sustainable Growers, farmers adopted improved practices such as:

• selective harvesting of ripe cherries
• proper coffee tree management and pruning
• soil and crop care techniques

These changes directly improved both yield and quality, ensuring that only high-quality cherries entered the value chain.

At the cooperative level, Sustainable Growers strengthened systems by supporting centralized processing through a coffee washing station, enabling:

• consistent quality control
• traceability
• alignment with specialty coffee market standards

This shift transformed coffee production from fragmented activity into a structured system.

By linking Henyi AMCOS to reliable buyers, Sustainable Growers enabled the cooperative to move from informal sales to collective marketing, securing better prices and more stable income.

As a result, the cooperative now produces approximately 181 metric tonnes of coffee annually, reflecting both improved productivity and stronger organization.

The most significant transformation, however, is in women’s participation.

Through targeted inclusion and capacity building led by Sustainable Growers, women are now:

• active coffee producers
• cooperative members
• decision-makers
• leaders within the organization

Today, women represent approximately 60% of cooperative members, contributing across production, governance, and market engagement.

Henyi AMCOS now stands as a cooperative where inclusion is not symbolic but central to performance. This transformation reflects Sustainable Growers’ model of building value from farm to market, ensuring that improved production translates into shared economic opportunity.

Ipyana AMCOS began as a cooperative shaped by deep gender imbalance. With approximately 300 men and only 5 women, and leadership entirely controlled by men, women were largely excluded from both production decisions and economic benefits. This structure limited not only women’s participation, but the cooperative’s overall potential.

The turning point came when Sustainable Growers introduced a structured intervention that combined coffee production training with gender inclusion.

Through hands-on training led by Sustainable Growers, farmers gained knowledge in:

• coffee cultivation and tree management
• selective harvesting and quality control
• understanding the relationship between production and market value

These practices improved productivity and ensured higher-quality cherries entered the system.

At the cooperative level, Sustainable Growers strengthened processing systems by supporting collective coffee handling and processing, enabling consistency, traceability, and alignment with specialty market requirements. This allowed Ipyana AMCOS to improve both quality and positioning within the market.

At the same time, Sustainable Growers supported the expansion and restructuring of the cooperative, increasing participation and strengthening governance.

Today, the cooperative includes 124 women and 281 men, with women increasingly represented in leadership roles. Production has also improved significantly, reaching approximately 120 metric tonnes of parchment coffee annually.

By linking the cooperative to better markets, Sustainable Growers enabled farmers to move away from low-value sales and access buyers who recognize and pay for quality.

Women are now:

• active contributors to production
• involved in financial decision-making
• represented in cooperative leadership

This transformation reflects a shift from exclusion to participation and from participation to shared value.

In Eastern DRC, coffee farming was once shaped by instability, limited structure, and low economic return. Farmers often travelled long distances across regions such as Rwanda, Goma, and Bukavu to sell coffee, with little understanding of its value or access to reliable markets. Coffee existed but not as a system.

Through a structured intervention led by Sustainable Growers, SCNPK Cooperative began rebuilding from the ground up. Using a field-school model and cooperative-based training approach, Sustainable Growers equipped women farmers with knowledge across the full coffee value chain from cultivation to processing and market engagement.

Today, the cooperative works with approximately 2,388 women farmers, all actively engaged in coffee production and trained in:

• coffee tree management
• harvesting and quality control
• post-harvest handling
• market understanding

At the farm level, this has resulted in improved productivity, stronger quality awareness, and greater ownership of coffee as an economic activity.

At the cooperative level, Sustainable Growers strengthened processing systems by supporting the use of washing stations and micro-stations, ensuring:

• better handling of cherries
• reduced post-harvest losses
• improved consistency and quality

This transformed coffee production into a structured system aligned with market standards.

Beyond production, Sustainable Growers introduced financial systems through savings and lending groups, enabling women to:

• access capital
• reduce dependence on high-interest lenders
• invest in farming and income-generating activities

Women have also diversified their income through:

• small businesses
• compost production
• land investment

The most significant shift, however, is in agency. Through targeted capacity building and inclusion, Sustainable Growers enabled women to move from marginal participants to active decision-makers.

SCNPK now represents a system where coffee is not just produced but understood, managed, and leveraged for long-term economic growth.

Gashonga Cooperative in Rusizi District once faced declining productivity, weak governance, and limited understanding of coffee value. Farmers lacked the knowledge needed to manage coffee effectively, and poor leadership structures affected both organization and profitability. At one point, the cooperative was at risk of collapse.

Sustainable Growers led a recovery process by addressing both farm-level practices and cooperative governance targeting the root causes of the cooperative’s decline.

Through structured training, farmers adopted improved practices in:

• coffee cultivation and tree management
• harvesting and quality control

This resulted in a dramatic increase in productivity, with yields rising up to 10 times previous levels.

At the cooperative level, Sustainable Growers strengthened leadership and governance systems, improving:

• decision-making structures
• organization
• member trust

By linking farmers to better markets and facilitating access to financial services, Sustainable Growers ensured that improved production translated into real economic value.

Women now play a central role, with approximately 90 women actively involved in production and cooperative activities.

Gashonga is now a cooperative in recovery rebuilt through knowledge, structure, and market integration.

TuK Cooperative began in 2011 as a peace-building initiative under small groups, bringing together women to promote unity. At the time, coffee was not part of their activities, and women were not involved in coffee farming.

In 2014, Sustainable Growers introduced coffee as a structured economic activity. Through comprehensive training, women learned the full coffee value chain from seedling to cup gaining skills in:

• cultivation
• harvesting
• processing
• market engagement

This transformed the cooperative from a social group into an economic system.

Today, the cooperative has grown from 45 to 163 members, with women actively engaged in production, financial management, and leadership. Through market linkages facilitated by Sustainable Growers, farmers now sell coffee to:

• Question Coffee
• international buyers
• hospitality partners

Women have also strengthened financial systems through savings groups, increasing economic independence.

This transformation has elevated women’s roles within households and communities, where they are now consulted in decision-making.

TuK Cooperative represents the evolution from social cohesion to economic empowerment.

At Mayogi Cooperative, women were once present but undervalued, with limited influence over production or decision-making.

In 2017, Sustainable Growers introduced targeted training and capacity building. Farmers gained skills in:

• coffee cultivation
• climate-smart practices
• processing and quality control
• coffee roasting and tasting

Sustainable Growers also strengthened production systems by supporting tree expansion and improved farm management.

Through market linkages, the cooperative now works with buyers such as:

• Sustainable Harvest Rwanda
• Dash Coffee
• Mountain Coffee

Mayogi has also gained recognition, ranking second in Cup of Excellence, demonstrating improved quality.

Women are now leaders, decision-makers, and active contributors. Coffee has shifted from a male-dominated activity to a shared economic system.

Nyampinga began as informal savings groups with limited structure. Through intervention by Sustainable Growers, farmers received:

• coffee production training
• certification support
• financial access

Members improved production and reinvested income into:

• livestock
• insurance
• cooperative development

The cooperative now supplies coffee to Sustainable Growers and Question Coffee. Innovation includes combining coffee with banana cultivation to optimize land use.

Nyampinga is now one of the leading cooperatives in its district.

With 974 women members in Hingakawa under Abakundakawa cooperative represents one of the largest women-led cooperatives. Initially, women lacked confidence and participation.

Through targeted capacity building by Sustainable Growers, women gained:

• technical coffee knowledge
• leadership skills
• exposure to global markets

Today, they are:

• entrepreneurs
• leaders
• active participants in international coffee platforms