Vision

To be a beautiful and safe place where students and the community can gather and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee, tasty treats, and good company. We want Rafiki Café to be the reference for good coffee.

Values

Community: We are open to everyone including students, the community of Bukavu, and anyone who wants to enjoy coffee.

Building relationships: We will foster an environment that allows people from different backgrounds to meet and connect.

Safety: We want students and all our customers to be and feel safe while they are at Rafiki Café by offering a welcoming and secure space where they can spend time.

Story

Born and raised in the war-torn Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Kubisa sisters founded Rafiki Café to fulfill their dream of creating a safe community gathering space centered around the region's rich coffee heritage.

After relocating to the United States, they observed the abundance of coffee shops and realized a clear disparity: while high-quality Arabica coffee is extensively cultivated in South Kivu, the local Congolese population often lacks access to the finished product.

To bridge this gap, Rafiki Café works to democratize coffee by ensuring local communities can enjoy their own harvest while simultaneously introducing international audiences to the unique, fruity flavors of Congolese beans.

Their mission transforms coffee from a mere export commodity into a tool for social cohesion and economic empowerment, supporting farmers to rebuild a sustainable industry in the wake of decades of conflict.