London-based specialty roaster Pact Coffee has set a new record for the highest price ever paid for a coffee from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), securing the top-scoring lot at the Best of Congo Cooperatives Competition 2026 for US$55.50 per kilogram.

The UK roaster outbid 63 other bidders to secure the coffee. The auction was hosted at Pact's offices in London in collaboration with African Coffee Connect, CongoAgri Platform, and M-Cultivo. Every lot offered in the auction was sold, with this year's event drawing buyers from three continents. The competition-and-auction format follows a model pioneered elsewhere in the specialty world by programs such as the Cup of Excellence, which since 1999 has used competitions and internet auctions to route premium prices directly to winning producers in Latin America and Africa.

The record-breaking lot is an experimental coffee from Yetu Qahwah, named Izuba, and is the first anaerobic coffee to be produced in the DRC. Anaerobic processing, in which coffee is fermented in sealed, oxygen-free environments before drying, is a method increasingly used by specialty producers to develop distinctive flavor profiles. The technique has become common among high-scoring competition lots in other origins, and its first documented use in the DRC signals how Congolese producers are adopting processing innovations that command premiums in the specialty market.

"Izuba is some of the most exciting coffee I've tasted from the DRC, and the fact it's now the highest-priced coffee the country has ever produced means that excitement turns into real value for the growers who made it. That is exactly what makes the Best of Congo Cooperatives so important," says Will Corby, Director of Coffee at Pact.

Judges praised Izuba for its vibrant character, highlighting notes of caramel and honey with a cognac-like finish. The coffee will join the Pact menu as a limited-edition release in 2027.

The DRC, situated in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa, has historically been known for its arabica production, particularly in areas such as North and South Kivu, though the country's coffee sector has faced challenges from decades of conflict and limited infrastructure. For context, the per-kilogram price achieved at this auction sits far above commodity market levels, where arabica trades at a price per pound rather than per kilogram — a gap that illustrates the premium buyers will pay for verified, competition-winning micro-lots. Competitions and auction platforms like Best of Congo aim to raise the international profile of Congolese coffees and return a greater share of value to producing cooperatives, and the sale-out of every lot in this year's auction suggests growing international buyer interest in the origin. Whether that interest translates into sustained higher prices for Congolese producers beyond these competition lots remains to be seen in future editions of the event.

Source: Global Coffee Report