Best of Congo Cooperatives 2026 (BOCC26) Competition & Auction
Overview
Best of Congo Cooperatives is a joint initiative of African Coffee Connect with CongoAgri Platform, designed to elevate Congolese specialty coffee onto the global stage while delivering sustained value to producer cooperatives operating in one of the most exciting and challenging coffee-producing regions in the world.
Launched in 2024 with events in London and Goma, the competition returns for its third edition in June 2026, with participation spanning four continents. In just two years, it has established itself as a reference platform for identifying exceptional coffees and connecting producers with international buyers.
At its core, BOCC26 is a curated quality competition and auction of specialty microlots. It offers importers and roasters access to distinctive high-scoring fully traceable coffees, while ensuring that value is directed back to the communities producing them.
The cooperatives
The cooperatives behind BOCC26 represent a sector that has endured sustained instability yet continues to produce coffees of remarkable quality and character. As Jim Ngokwey founder of Optimist Traders notes, they remain the coffee world’s “best-kept secret.” Jennifer Yeatts, speaking to Barista Magazine in relation to the 2025 competition, underlines this standard: “I’ve been enjoying Congolese coffees for nearly a decade and I am consistently impressed. The lots we tasted last week were some of the best I’ve ever tried from the Kivu region: complex, dynamic and vibrant.”
Quality has been consistently demonstrated with top lots in the 2025 competition exceeding 88 points. Buyers for 2026 can expect a diverse range of processing methods, including natural and anaerobic lots, and certified Organic, Fairtrade and Rainforest alliance and EUDR compliant coffees.
Impact
The coffees in the 2026 edition will be accompanied by full profiles of the farmers, the locations, the varietals and processing methods used, with a strong focus on inclusion, with representation from women-led groups, groups of young farmers, and Batwa Pygmy communities across the North and South Kivu region. Richard Hide emphasises the direct impact of participation: “The coffees speak for themselves in the cup, but what is less obvious is the spirit and determination of the farmers. They are producing these coffees in the most stressful of circumstances, and the impact of buying them can be literally life changing.”
BOCC26 is unique opportunity to source exceptional coffee while contributing to the long-term resilience of one of the world’s most under-recognised origins.
Press from BOCC25
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