The Ituri province lies in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the borders with South Sudan and Uganda. Sadly, rebels and bandits cause death and destruction in the region, leading to lawlessness which gives opportunity for illegal hunting and logging. Our partners from the Cacao Okapi association cooperate with hundreds of cacao farmer, which form a forest belt protecting the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. Our cacao-importing friends from Silva Cacao are partners in this project to improve livelihood for the communities and protection for the rainforest and wildlife. The cacao is then centrally fermented in Mungamba according to strict protocols, which allowed the improvement in quality and as a result the acess to the cacao speciality market.

Beginning 2022 we transitioned from the Mutwanga plantation in North Kivu (Mountains of the Moon) to the Mungamba plantation in Ituri (200km to the north). The sad reason is the stop in production in Mutwanga due to ongoing attacks from bandit groups. Hoping that our colleagues are safe and sound.