Coffee: a morning essential for most teenagers. Since coffee originated in Ethiopia in the 11th century, coffee has been viewed as ‘magical’; but, the struggle to get the beans behind that morning cup often turns deadly. While the inherent danger in large amounts of caffeine is well known in America, the basis for some of these brands, like Death Wish Coffee (which has 54.2 grams of caffeine per fluid ounce), just acquiring the beans behind your morning cup of Joe, result from a struggle.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a rising star in the specialty coffee world. The sale of Congo’s specialty coffee has skyrocketed to 960 tons a year. Every year, 18 billion dollars are made off of coffee in the US, eight percent of these sales are going to ‘specialty coffees’ (coffee that has met a rigorous flavor evaluation with a 100 point scale). There are more than 11,000 coffee farms in the DRC, growing both the popular Arabica bean and Robusta. However, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been embroiled in civil unrest since 1996, resulting in the deaths of  5.4 million people and the recent deaths of 32 Indian U.N peacekeepers. These conflicts often occur around the areas in which the coffee is grown. Last August, almost 60 people were killed by machete near a coffee co-op.

However, the benefits of coffee sales outweigh the horrors in the eyes of the Congolese. The development of Congo’s coffee markets has been a godsend for the farmers caught between conflicts involving the government and the rebels. Starbucks recently invested in coffee from eastern Congo, transforming the lives of 4,500 small coffee farms. The Congo Coffee project has raised over 60,000 dollars for survivors of sexual assault. The sale of coffee for almost 3 dollars a pound allows previously destitute farmers access to essential medical care and financial independence.