🇨🇩 DR Congo → the world · via Kenya

Congolese Cocoa Beans — Export Supply

Hands holding fermented, dried cocoa beans

Overview

Cocoa production in the DRC has grown rapidly, particularly in North Kivu (Beni, Butembo), Ituri and the Équateur and Kongo Central provinces. Much of it is grown by smallholders on forest-edge farms with little or no agrochemical use, and an increasing share is certified organic and fine-flavour. Beans are fermented in wooden boxes for 5–7 days and sun-dried, giving rich chocolate, fruity and nutty profiles prized by craft chocolate makers.

We source graded, export-ready beans from licensed exporters and cooperatives, with cut-test and moisture reports before shipment.

Main markets: Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France, USA, Switzerland, Italy and craft chocolate makers worldwide.

Types, grades & specifications

Typical specifications; exact parameters are confirmed per lot on the quotation, inspection report and certificate of analysis.

Type 1 of 3 · 🇨🇩 DR Congo

Fermented Cocoa Beans — Grade 1 (bulk)

Well-fermented, sun-dried beans meeting international Grade 1 standards for mainstream chocolate and cocoa processors.

Sample: $7.50/kg (indicative) Quote this type Order sample

Specifications

Bean count	≤ 100 beans / 100 g
Moisture	≤ 7.5%
Cut test — mouldy	≤ 3%
Cut test — slaty	≤ 3%
Insect-damaged/germinated/flat	≤ 3%
Fat content	approx. 50–55% (dry nib)
Foreign matter	≤ 0.75%
Packing	62.5–65 kg jute bags

Type 2 of 3 · 🇨🇩 DR Congo

Organic Fine-Flavour Cocoa

Certified organic cocoa with careful post-harvest handling for bean-to-bar makers — fruity, floral and nutty notes depending on origin and fermentation.

Sample: $9.00/kg (indicative) Quote this type Order sample

Specifications

Certification	EU / USDA Organic, Fairtrade options
Bean count	85–100 / 100 g
Moisture	≤ 7%
Well-fermented (brown)	≥ 80%
Traceability	cooperative / region
Lot sizes	from 1 MT

Type 3 of 3 · 🇨🇩 DR Congo

Cocoa Grade 2 / Industrial

Lower-grade beans with more defects or smaller size, suitable for cocoa butter and powder pressing.

Sample: $6.50/kg (indicative) Quote this type Order sample

Specifications

Bean count	up to 120 / 100 g
Moisture	≤ 8%
Mouldy / slaty	≤ 4% / ≤ 8%
Uses	pressing, cocoa butter, powder

Producing regions in DR Congo

Region	Notes
North Kivu (Beni, Butembo, Oicha)	Main eastern cocoa zone — large organic cooperatives.
Ituri (Mambasa, Irumu)	Forest-edge smallholder cocoa.
Équateur & Tshopo	Congo Basin cocoa shipped via Kinshasa/Matadi.
Kongo Central (Mayombe)	Atlantic-side production near Matadi and Boma ports.

Season

Main crop: approx. September–January; mid crop: May–July.

Packaging

62.5–65 kg jute sacks (food-grade)
Bulk-in-container with liner on request

Export routes

Eastern DRC (Goma, Bukavu, Butembo, Bunia) → Uganda (Kasindi–Mpondwe) or Rwanda (Gisenyi/Rubavu) → Mombasa: 7–12 days by road
Eastern DRC → Kigoma / Lake Tanganyika or by road via Rwanda → Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor)
Katanga copper belt (Lubumbashi, Kolwezi) → Kasumbalesa → Zambia → Dar es Salaam, Durban or Walvis Bay; Lobito Corridor rail via Angola
Western DRC (Kinshasa, Équateur, Kongo Central) → Port of Matadi or Boma on the Atlantic
Air: Goma (GOM), Lubumbashi (FBM), Kinshasa N'djili (FIH) — or via Entebbe / Kigali / Nairobi

Documents

DRC export declaration & licence
OCC inspection / quality certificate
Certificate of Origin (COMESA / SADC / EAC as applicable)
Phytosanitary certificate (agricultural products)
CEEC certificate and ITSCI / ICGLR documentation (minerals)
CITES permit (listed timber species such as afrormosia)
Transit documents (T1, regional bond, RECTS tracking) for Kenya/Uganda/Rwanda routes

HS codes: 1801.00 (cocoa beans, whole or broken, raw or roasted)

Tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold from eastern DRC are covered by the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation (EU 2017/821), US Dodd-Frank Section 1502 reporting and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance. We only work with licensed exporters using ITSCI or equivalent mine-to-export traceability, ICGLR certificates and third-party audited supply chains. Cobalt exports have been subject to DRC export suspension and quota measures since 2025; availability and quotas are confirmed at the time of contract.

Buyer guides

Guides for importers

Sourcing Countries

Import from DR Congo: Buying Congolese Coffee, Cocoa, Copper, Cobalt & Timber Safely

Kivu coffee, fine-flavour cocoa, Katanga copper and cobalt, 3T minerals and Congo Basin hardwoods — and how to move them safely to your port.

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Import How-To Guides

EUDR Compliance for Coffee & Cocoa from East Africa: What EU Importers Need

What EUDR means for your coffee and cocoa sourcing, and the data we provide with every lot.

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Import How-To Guides

How to Order Product Samples from Kenya & East Africa: Pricing, Invoice and Shipping

Exactly how our sample orders work — from calculation to invoice, payment and courier.

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Ready to import from Kenya?

Tell us the product, variety, quantity, Incoterm (FOB / CIF / CFR / DAP) and your destination port or airport. We reply with a formal quotation, usually within one business day.

Request a Quotation Order a Sample