Mapendo, meaning 'love' in Swahili, comes to us from the Mighty Peace Coffee Initiative. Mighty Peace was created out of the Congolese peace movement by a group of people that believe that coffee can meaningfully impact those struggling from the intense conflicts of the region’s recent past. This coffee is grown on the slopes in the South Lake Kivu region. We were drawn to this selection by the integrity of the project and the very high potential the region has to produce excellent complex coffees. Lake Kivu provides a unique microclimate for growing coffee that we've only seen actualized in Rwanda. This is a special new project for us, and we look forward to seeing its development. “SL” is in reference to single tree selections made by Scott Agricultural Laboratories in 1935-1939. SL34 has a Typica-like genetic background selected from a single tree on the Loresho Estate in Kabete, Kenya. SL34 is primarily grown in Kenya, and it is very interesting to see how much of it is now being cultivated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. SL34 is extremely susceptible to disease, but has relatively high yield and quality potential at high altitudes.