TISYA MUKUNA ON BUILDING LA BOITE KINOISE AND REVIVING CONGO’S COFFEE VALUE CHAIN
In this edition, we meet Tisya Mukuna, our 2024 Top 10 Hero and co-founder of La Boîte Kinoise, who is proving that coffee can thrive in Kinshasa against all odds. By controlling the entire value chain, from farming to packaging to retail, Tisya is reshaping how Congolese coffee is grown, valued, and consumed. In this interview, she shares her bold return to Kinshasa after growing up in France, the resilience it took to build in a tough market, and how La Kinoise is redefining what it means for Congo to own its coffee story.
1. You grew up in France before returning to Kinshasa in 2018, and your return sparked a bold idea: growing coffee in Kinshasa, a region dismissed as nonviable. What made you believe it was possible?
Absolutely. Growing up in France, I was surrounded by stories of coffee; not just as a drink, but as a culture, a ritual, a symbol of sophistication and connection. Coffee was everywhere: in cafés where people debated politics over tiny espressos, in films, in books and advertisements that spoke of exotic origins and rich aromas.
But what struck me most was how coffee was always romanticized, always talked about with pride when it came from Brazil, Ethiopia, Colombia, or even Vietnam. Yet never from Congo.
France is one of the largest consumers of coffee in the world, but almost no one there knows that the Democratic Republic of Congo was once a major coffee producer. It was as if our story had been erased. Even as a young woman, that absence stayed with me. It felt personal.
When I returned to Kinshasa in 2018, I saw what reality looked like: abandoned plantations, forgotten expertise, and a capital city where people believed coffee couldn’t grow.
But I believed it was possible for one simple reason: no one had tried! not seriously, not with intention, not with love for the land. I knew our soil, our climate, and our people had potential. What was missing wasn’t nature, it was belief. I took a risk. I started small. And against all odds, green coffee shoots began to rise where everyone said they wouldn’t.
That moment changed everything for me. It proved that sometimes, the most powerful innovations come not from invention, but from reimagining what’s already ours. My return wasn’t just about planting coffee. It was about reclaiming our narrative, about showing that the impossible is often just the undiscovered.
2. You once said, “No one believed coffee could grow in Mont Ngafula.” How do you maintain resilience in the face of doubt, especially as a young African woman founder?
Yes, I did say that, because it was true. When I first shared my idea of growing coffee in Mont Ngafula, people laughed. They said, “Coffee doesn’t grow in the capital,” or “It’s impossible, the altitude is too low.” Some were more subtle, questioning my experience, my youth, or even just the fact that I was a woman daring to do something no one else had tried.
But doubt has never scared me. What scares me more is regret.
As a young African woman founder, resilience isn’t just a choice, it’s a daily discipline. I’ve learned to listen carefully, but not always obey. I take doubt as data, not as a verdict. If someone says “you can’t,” I ask “why?” and if the answer isn’t rooted in truth but in fear or bias, I keep moving.
I also lean on something stronger than myself: purpose. I’m not doing this just for me. I’m doing it for a generation that deserves to know we can build from within. I’m doing it for the farmers who were forgotten. I’m doing it for the young girl in Kinshasa who thinks entrepreneurship is for someone else.
Resilience, to me, means redefining success. Not just in terms of profit, but in terms of impact. It means knowing that even if I fail, I will have opened a path.
3. La Kinoise is one of the few Congolese brands that controls its entire coffee value chain, from cultivation to packaging to direct retail. What are the advantages and risks of that model in your context?
Controlling the entire value chain, from cultivation to packaging to retail, was a deliberate and strategic choice for La Kinoise. In the Congolese context, it’s both empowering and challenging.
The biggest advantage is sovereignty. We’re not just growing coffee, we’re reclaiming our narrative. By owning every stage, we ensure that the value generated by Congolese coffee stays in Congo. We create local jobs at each step: farmers, factory workers, quality control, baristas, sales teams. That’s how we move from raw material exporter to value creator. It also allows us to guarantee quality, transparency, and traceability. Things that global consumers are increasingly demanding.
It’s also about dignity. For too long, Congo has been known as a place where raw resources leave and come back transformed at ten times the price. With La Kinoise, we are changing that. When you drink our coffee, you’re not just tasting beans: you’re tasting Congolese craftsmanship, resilience, and pride.
But yes, there are risks. Infrastructure is one of our biggest challenges. Managing production, logistics, and retail in a country with unreliable electricity, limited road networks, and weak institutional support requires constant adaptation. We’re also exposed to market fluctuations at every level, from farming conditions to consumer demand. And when you control everything, every crisis hits you harder.
But I’d rather face those risks than depend on systems that exclude us. Vertical integration gives us leverage. It makes us stronger, more agile, and more accountable to our communities. It’s not the easy road but it’s the one that leads to transformation.
4. You’ve launched innovative formats from mobile coffee carts to pods and single-serve packs. How do you innovate while keeping La Kinoise grounded in Congolese heritage?
Innovation at La Kinoise always starts with one question: how do we make coffee more accessible?
We’ve launched mobile coffee carts, pods, and single-serve packs to solve real problems. In Kinshasa, not everyone can afford a coffee machine or has the time to sit in a café. So we brought coffee to the streets, to offices, to people’s hands, in formats that fit their daily lives. That’s innovation rooted in empathy.
But we never innovate for the sake of it. Every format, every design, every word we choose is anchored in Congolese heritage. Our branding carries our identity: the name La Kinoise itself is a tribute to Kinshasa, to the fierce, joyful, resourceful women of this city. Our packaging uses colors and patterns inspired by local fabrics. Even our storytelling “from the farm to the cup” highlights real farmers, real communities, real land.
For us, innovation is not about erasing the past. It’s about honoring it and making it speak to the present.
5. Starting an agri-processing business in the DRC comes with unique challenges, ranging from infrastructure gaps to regulatory and logistical hurdles. What specific barriers did you encounter while building La Kinoise, and how did you overcome them?
Starting La Kinoise came with real challenges.
Infrastructure was the first: poor roads, unstable electricity, and limited water. We adapted by installing solar systems and managing our own logistics.
Regulations were unclear. I had to go office by office to understand export processes. I overcame it by staying persistent, building relationships, and documenting everything.
Perception was another barrier. Many didn’t believe in Congolese-made products. We changed that through quality, strong branding, and consistency.
And as a young woman, I had to prove myself constantly. But every barrier became fuel because in Congo, when something works, it changes everything.
6. What barriers did you face during fundraising, both in terms of local capital limitations and investor skepticism about agriculture in Kinshasa and how did you position La Kinoise to attract attention? What breakthroughs helped you unlock the capital you needed to scale?
Fundraising was one of the hardest parts.
Locally, capital is limited. Few banks want to finance agriculture, especially in Kinshasa where coffee was seen as impossible. There’s little appetite for risk, especially for a woman-led startup in an unfamiliar sector.
Internationally, investors were skeptical. They couldn’t believe coffee could grow in the capital, and many didn’t understand the DRC context. Agriculture here is often viewed as high-risk, low-return.
To attract attention, I positioned La Kinoise not just as a coffee brand, but as a proof of concept for transformation: reviving abandoned land, creating jobs, and reshaping local consumption. I leaned into storytelling, showing the impact on real people.
The breakthrough came when I started winning pitch competitions and gaining visibility on platforms that value innovation and social impact. That credibility opened doors.
7. You’ve won major awards, GoGettaz Impact Prize, Paris Agriculture Salon, and COPA’s business plan contest. How have these accolades helped you gain capital, partnerships, or legitimacy in the marketplace?
These awards have been game changers for La Kinoise.
Each one brought more than recognition… they brought credibility. In a market where trust is a challenge, especially for a young woman in agriculture, these accolades became proof that our work is serious, impactful, and scalable.
The GoGettaz Impact Prize gave us visibility across Africa and opened doors to investors focused on youth-led innovation.
At the Salon de l’Agriculture in Paris, we showed that Congolese coffee could stand on the global stage and that helped us attract export partners.
The COPA business plan award helped secure local trust and gave us leverage in negotiations with suppliers and banks.
In short, these prizes didn’t just validate our idea; they helped turn it into a movement.
8. What are your plans for exporting, introducing new product lines, and extending distribution in Kinshasa and beyond?
Our vision now is to scale La Kinoise beyond Kinshasa while deepening our local presence.
For exports: We’re preparing to enter premium markets in Europe and Africa, starting with France and Belgium. Markets that appreciate specialty coffee and where the Congolese diaspora is strong. Our goal is to position La Kinoise as the Congolese coffee brand abroad, showcasing both quality and story.
For new product lines: We’re expanding beyond roasted beans and ground coffee into ready-to-drink cold brews, specialty capsules compatible with common machines, and coffee-based delicacies like chocolate-coated beans. These formats respond to changing consumer habits and increase value addition locally.
For distribution: In Kinshasa, we’re growing our network of mobile carts, supermarkets, and corporate partnerships, while setting up flagship La Kinoise coffee corners. Regionally, we’re building partnerships in key African cities to create a “Made in Congo” footprint.
Our focus remains the same: quality, accessibility, and storytelling, whether it’s a cup served in Mont Ngafula or in a café in Paris.
9. As a young female entrepreneur disrupting a male‑dominated sector, what advice would you offer other African women with big dreams?
My advice to other African women with big dreams is this: start where you are, with what you have and don’t wait for anyone to validate your ambition.
In male-dominated sectors, you’ll face doubt, resistance, and sometimes even isolation. But don’t let that define you. Let it drive you. Use every “no” as fuel to keep going.
Believe deeply in your vision, and back it up with action, consistency, and excellence. Build your skills, ask questions, stay curious. And never be afraid to take up space. Your voice matters, your ideas matter.
Also, lean on sisterhood. Support other women. Celebrate their wins. We’re stronger when we rise together.
Most of all! You belong here: in boardrooms, on farms, in factories, at the front of change. Dream bold. Start loud. And never shrink to fit.
