Wakuli

Shining a light on the situation in DR Congo For decades, eastern DR Congo has been plagued by violence, displacement, and instability. Rebel groups, often backed by foreign powers, fight over land, power, and control of the region’s mineral resources - crucial for global industries like tech and energy. Despite peace efforts, the cycle of conflict continues, leaving millions of people vulnerable to exploitation, poverty, and war. What happened? Last week eastern DRC’s city Goma was taken by Rwanda backed rebel group M23. Hospitals are overflowing with casualties and both the Congolese army and UN peace keepers are powerless to stop the violence. As African and Western states are distracted or indifferent, there is little to stop a wider conflict. What this means for our Marcelline and Bertin? Goma has been the place where our coffee -produced on Idjwi Island by Rebuild Women’s Hope- was brought ashore and processed for export to the Netherlands. And while our partners are safe for now, the rebels are on the move southwards to the city of Bukavu. This is the city where Rebuild Women’s Hope is based, and our friends and partners Marcelline and Bertin and their children live. It’s also the city where they are building a processing factory aimed to further improve the lives of more than 3000 farmers on Idjwi. What does it mean for us? So, while drinking this month’s Discover Monthly coffee from DRC we cannot forget to urge our governments to do more to stop this atrocity from happening, including critically looking at the EU mineral deal with Rwanda. In times where geopolitical and economic interests seem more important than human rights and autocrats think they can freely execute their outrageous territorial ambitions, we cannot turn a blind eye. Our thoughts and support are with the Congolese people and our partners Marcelline and Bertin and the wider team at Rebuild Women’s Hope in South-Kivu. Some reading tips: https://lnkd.in/eERCRrW7 https://lnkd.in/est3nSrT https://lnkd.in/eM2JQybV Read Marcellines post: https://lnkd.in/eKcHH5Xb

Yesterday the city of DRC’s Goma was taken by Rwanda backed rebel group M23. Hospitals are overflowing with casualties and UN peace keepers are powerless to stop the violence. Goma was for a long time the place where our coffee -produced on Idjwi Island by Rebuild Women’s Hope- was brought ashore and processed for export. And now the rebels are on the move southwards to the city of Bukavu. A city that just over two years ago we visited, where Marceline Budza and @Bertin of Rebuild Women’s Hope live with their children and where they are building a processing factory aimed to further improve the lives of farmers. So, while/if you are enjoying this month’s Discover Monthly from DRC please take a moment to really let it sink in what is happening to people in Eastern DR Congo and read the message of our friend and partner Marceline below. 

Wakuli is hiring! At Wakuli, we’re changing the f*cked up coffee industry. We source amazing specialty coffees from our star farmer partners around the world, while building strong, short and transparent supply chains. This way, we're creating a win-win between farmers and consumers: high quality coffee at home or in our retail bars for consumers and fair pay, long-term partnerships and joint investments for our farmer partners. We're on the lookout for talented individuals to join our growing team and help us revolutionise the coffee industry. 📍 Junior Designer (HQ) 📍 Retail Construction Development Manager (HQ) 📍 Store Manager (Rotterdam) 📍 Baristas (Rotterdam) 📍 Store Manager (Amsterdam) 📍 Online Marketing stage [NL only] Check out all open positions and apply today: https://lnkd.in/gcQgKy6

This weekend we’ve officially opened our first The Hague Wakuli retail bar. This opening marks the end of a great year with 8 new openings in 4 different cities, bringing our total presence to 13 bars in the Netherlands. Yesterday the place was filled with extremely welcoming neighbors and many long-time Wakuli at-home customers, a very rewarding day getting to know our The Hague customer base. I can’t wait to accelerate our presence in more cities next year, but for now I am enjoying the 070 crowd 💚 📍Fahrenheitstraat 496, The Hague

Visiting our partners and friends at El Pinal in Honduras! Together with Hidardo Hernandez and Sebastian Wiersma of Cafesmo we are taking our time to visit the 28 farmers from whom we source our Honduran coffee. The El Pinal community is situated in the far west of Honduras on the border with El Salvador, high in the hills, an hour drive from the nearest small town. And that’s only when the roads are oke. We experienced first hand what a few days of drizzle can do to the dirt roads going up into the hills. The farms are close together at an altitude of around 1650 meters above sea level. The coffee is produced organically and in most cases farmers have fully adopted regenerative practices over past generations. The result is lush green farms with trees full of coffee beans, healthy soils full of life and avocados, mangos, tomatoes and ample shade trees in and around the coffee plots. During the one on one meetings in the farms as well as the group meeting in Selvins grocery store (who is also one of the farmers) we discuss the yield, the challenges with pests and disease and the price farmers are getting for their coffee. The price can be a sensitive subject and it is always a challenge to create mutual understanding. But these conversations are very important and they help us to set the scene for the coming years for collaboration and strengthening our relationship. Young guys like Arlin, Selvin and Geremias showed us that there is a future in coffee farming in this region and we hope to play a part in making that future more appealing. El Pinal and the forest and mountains surrounding it are a magical place where farmers prove that growing amazing coffee in partnership with nature is the best way (and probably the only way) to preserve their traditions and their livelihoods as well as the industry at large.

Visiting our partners and friends at El Pinal in Honduras! Together with Hidardo Hernandez and Sebastian Wiersma of Cafesmo we are taking our time to visit the 28 farmers from whom we source our Honduran coffee. The El Pinal community is situated in the far west of Honduras on the border with El Salvador, high in the hills, an hour drive from the nearest small town. And that’s only when the roads are oke. We experienced first hand what a few days of drizzle can do to the dirt roads going up into the hills. The farms are close together at an altitude of around 1650 meters above sea level. The coffee is produced organically and in most cases farmers have fully adopted regenerative practices over past generations. The result is lush green farms with trees full of coffee beans, healthy soils full of life and avocados, mangos, tomatoes and ample shade trees in and around the coffee plots. During the one on one meetings in the farms as well as the group meeting in Selvins grocery store (who is also one of the farmers) we discuss the yield, the challenges with pests and disease and the price farmers are getting for their coffee. The price can be a sensitive subject and it is always a challenge to create mutual understanding. But these conversations are very important and they help us to set the scene for the coming years for collaboration and strengthening our relationship. Young guys like Arlin, Selvin and Geremias showed us that there is a future in coffee farming in this region and we hope to play a part in making that future more appealing. El Pinal and the forest and mountains surrounding it are a magical place where farmers prove that growing amazing coffee in partnership with nature is the best way (and probably the only way) to preserve their traditions and their livelihoods as well as the industry at large.

We at Wakuli are extremely proud of our colleague Kerissa Narine for nailing her CQI Q Grader exams at her first go. For those of you familiar with the course, you will know that most people will take a few swings at it because it is HARD! After years of assessing all our coffees, finding new ones and making blends in our sourcing and product team we knew what she has in store, but now she can show off with the official validation of those skills!

You know we love to share our adventures at origin, our considerations and our philosophy about the coffee industry and where we want it to go. And probably you know Wakuli from one of our bars or you get our coffee through your mailbox. All of this is made possible by a seriously dedicated team of young professionals. What binds us is the strong belief in our mission to change the coffee industry for good. For a future focused company like Walkuli nothing is more important than bringing together all our plans and aspirations for the coming year. It doesn't matter if it's about customer experience at home, smooth logistics, service in our bars or the way we source and roast our coffee. The key for all of us is to find synergy, joint understanding and collective energy to nail some pretty ambitious goals So, last week we came together in The Hague to look forward to what 2025 will have in store for us. The question that binds us: how can we keep changing the coffee industry and how can we make more impact next year? It was a great day and it reminded us once again why we do what we do: more money for farmers and better and affordable specialty coffee for all coffee lovers. Sneak peak: Next year will bring some more places around the Netherlands where you can enjoy Wakuli coffee, there will be new origins for our Discover Monthlies as well as for our single origin robusta. And we will keep on increasing our efforts to support farmers in being independent, profitable and futureproof. And... we made use of the opportunity to say goodbye to long serving and amazing colleague Joris Oostenbroek who is off now on his own entrepreneurial adventure.

JUST OPEN: WAKULI x @2050_nl | ATELIER CAFE At the same time that we are building and improving partnerships at origin for higher income for farmers, higher quality coffee and future-proof production, we are building partnerships in the Netherlands as well. With companies that have a similar passion for changing their industry. Last week our brand-new ATELIER CAFE opened in "het Bajeskwartier", Amsterdam. A collab between @2050_NL and Wakuli. Here we highlight our common mission: making big changes in big industries; respectively coffee and fashion. The atelier is the perfect place to repair, create or produce garments. The cafe offers amazing Wakuli specialty coffee, to drink in, to take away or brew at home. A perfect combo if you ask us! We’re excited to welcome you there.   📍 Wenckebachweg 48 | Bajeskwartier | Amsterdam Naz Kawan Siem De Jong Vanessa Westbroek

BREAKING FREE FROM THE COMMODITY MARKET During our recent visit to Brazil, our goal to break free from the unfairness of commodity pricing was put to the test. The so called C-market is currently at record highs (reaching 2.74 USD per pound in September, a 13-year high, and remaining inflated ever since), one of the reasons for this price peak is extreme drought in the biggest coffee-producing region in Brazil, with production there expected to seriously dip next year as a result. We are committed to offer farmers more control through stable, cost-based prices. However, we know that the temptation for farmers to sell at market rates is now very strong. This raises some important questions. Are our partners at the farmer-led cooperative COOPERVASS - Cooperativa Agropecuária do Vale do Sapucaí still aligned with our vision? Are they able to keep farmer members on board? They received a great price for the coffee sold to Wakuli in the past when the market was low. Would they understand that this means we take a balanced approach when market peaks? -Our beliefs reaffirmed- We had some in-depth discussions with our partners in the export office at Coopervass as well as with farmers, addressing this challenge. At the end of these honest conversations, everyone -with no exception- reaffirmed our joint beliefs: securing a predictable price, above historical averages and separate from the C-price for a percentage of the production to spread risks and ensure long-term stability. Seeing our partnership thrive -even under market pressure- is incredibly motivating. It shows that our approach is in the best interest of our partners at origin and that long term reliable partnership pays off for everyone in the value chain. Read more about this challenges and our approach in this in-depth blog on our website. https://lnkd.in/eY5HTQpX